TAMPA, FL — A Tampa police sergeant is recovering in the hospital after he was hit by a car while directing traffic after a concert at Raymond James Stadium early Sunday morning.
Just after midnight, the driver of a 2006 Chrysler Crossfire, a 44-year-old man, was heading east on W. Martin Luther King Drive, just past N. Himes Avenue, when his car suddenly left the center traffic lane and entered the outside lane, Tampa police said in a news release.
The sergeant, who was directing traffic and wearing a reflective traffic vest, lawfully entered the road when he was struck by the car, which didn’t stop.
After the crash, the officer was brought to a local hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening, injuries.
As of Sunday morning, he was in stable condition and “in good spirits,” police said.
The driver stayed at the scene to cooperate with the investigation. He was cited for careless driving causing serious bodily injury.
Speed or impairment aren’t believed to be factors in the crash.
“I’m incredibly grateful and relieved to know that one of our officers is ok after an incident that could’ve been deadly,” Chief Lee Bercaw said. “It serves as a stark reminder that even in some of the most routine tasks, our officers risk their lives to keep our community, and in this case, concert-goers, safe.”