Wrong-way driver strikes officer, leaving him critically injured

A bizarre accident on Christmas has left members of the police force in Milwaukee a little stunned.

The head of the Milwaukee Police Association has some harsh words for the driver responsible for a Milwaukee police officer's critical injuries in a car accident on Christmas night. "Callous" is one word the man uses to describe the driver's actions.

This is what happened. When the police officer and a fellow employee made a traffic stop at about 5:17 p.m. on Christmas at S. 17^th Street and West Windlake Avenue, a driver traveling the wrong way apparently jumped the curb and hit the officer, who was standing next to his squad car. The driver then fled the scene.

The crash left the officer in critical condition at a local hospital. Police are now looking for the hit-and-run driver. They believe he or she was driving a dark mid-sized sedan. The vehicle is likely missing the passenger side mirror and may have some damage on the front end as well, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The Milwaukee police chief tells the paper that they "are appealing to the public to give us any information about this vehicle."

The head of the MPA says that the officer and his colleague were focused during the traffic stop, and that there was nothing they could do once they saw the wrong-way driver heading their way. He tells TMJ 4 that the officers "tried to do something about it, but they just couldn't."

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Officer struck by vehicle, in critical condition," Meg Jones, Dec. 26, 2011