Jan. 03--A Whitpain Township police officer involved in a serious traffic accident while responding to a burglary early today has been treated and released from a Philadelphia hospital.
Officer Officer Steve Nickel, 36, an 11-year veteran of the force, escaped major injury when his cruiser slammed into a utility pole, his department said.
The officer was flown by helicopter to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania after the crash, Whitpain police said in a statement.
Hospital spokeswoman Kim Guenther said at 11 a.m. that Nickel had been treated and released earlier this morning.
"This is a happy new year," Guenther said.
Police said the call for a burglary on the 800 block of North Wales Road came in about 3:15 a.m., according to the statement.
After officers arrived at the scene, a second call came in from a passerby for a crash involving a police car on Morris Road east of Route 202 near Montgomery County College.
Arriving officers found Nickel trapped in the car, which had run into a utility pole, the statement said. Members of the Centre Square Fire Company and Second Alarmers Rescue Squad extricated the officer from the car and prepared him for the medevac flight.
Police in the meantime arrested a juvenile at the burglary scene.
Morris Road remained closed so crews could clean up debris.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Contact staff writer Bonnie L. Cook at 610-313-8232 or [email protected].
Copyright 2012 - The Philadelphia Inquirer
