On Tuesday, November 20th at about 5:00 pm, a Yakima police officer sustained minor injuries when his patrol car was hit by another vehicle at the intersection of South 3rd Avenue and West Walnut Street.
While heading south on 3rd Avenue, the Yakima Police Department (“YPD”) Ford Explorer driven by YPD Officer Travis Shephard was hit on the driver’s side by a Pontiac that was attempting to make a left hand turn from 3rd Avenue to head west on Walnut. Surveillance video from a nearby business showed that Officer Shephard had the right-of-way.
After being hit, Officer Shephard’s Explorer was pushed off the roadway and came to rest with two of its wheels on a section of sidewalk at the northeast corner of the intersection. The YPD patrol car is likely totaled.
Officer Shephard was treated for his injuries and released. The 58-year-old woman driving the Pontiac was unhurt. She was issued a citation for failing to yield the right-of-way to Officer Shepard.
Both Officer Shephard and the woman driving the Pontiac were wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident. Air bags in the YPD Explorer deployed as a result of the collision.