MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Police have been involved in 360 wrecks so far in 2022, MPD said after an officer was involved in an accident on Interstate 40 early Thursday.
That’s more than one wreck per day. In 120 of those wrecks, the officer was at fault, MPD said.
In the latest incident, a squad car crashed into a pole on the eastbound lanes of I-40 at Watkins Street. The officer was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Police blocked the lanes near the crash for hours.
MPD said the circumstances surrounding the crash are unknown at this time as the investigation is still ongoing.
Just Tuesday, three MPD squad cars got into three separate crashes throughout the Memphis area. Officers were on duty in two of those incidents.
With Thursday morning’s accident, WREG archives show Memphis Police have been involved in at least six crashes since August. This statistic has the attention of one transportation agency.
Mavrick Fitzgerald is a transportation planner for Memphis Metropolitan Planning Organization. They are compiling data to come up with a plan to reduce traffic fatalities across the region.
“That’s something we can address through better planning, better technology, better emergency responses,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s about analyzing data about traffic crashes on our street and identifying strategies so that we can make our roads safer for drivers, pedestrians.”
Based on their research, which includes public feedback, cities across the Mid-South will then be able to apply for grants to make changes, which many in the community say is necessary.
MPD officers receive emergency vehicle operation training annually, the department said.