Massachusetts correctional officer lucky to be alive after crash allegedly involving drunk driver

The Hampden County Sheriff’s Office says that a correctional officer is lucky to be alive following a three-car accident caused by an allegedly intoxicated man overnight.

At approximately 12:30 a.m., a correctional officer was on his way to cover a security shift for an inmate in the department’s custody who is receiving treatment at the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital in Jamaica Plain. As he drove through a green light in his marked cruiser at the intersection of Blue Hills Parkway and Brush Hill Road in Milton, a 25-year-old man, who was later charged with operating under the influence of alcohol, allegedly ran a red light in his BMW and struck the cruiser on the driver’s side and hit an Acura sedan as well.

The airbags in the marked Ford Explorer cruiser deployed, as did the airbags in the other two vehicles. The officer was taken to a local hospital to be checked out and although he was sore and shaken up, there didn’t appear to be any immediate signs of serious injuries.

“We are thankful that our officer and the other drivers involved were not seriously injured or killed in the accident,” said Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi. “This correctional officer showed amazing professionalism and insisted on finishing his shift despite the fact that the cruiser he was driving was hit so hard, it is likely totaled.”

The investigation into the crash remains ongoing and the allegedly intoxicated driver was taken into custody by local police.