Crash injures cops en route to emergency

Two police officers responding to an assist call were injured yesterday when their patrol car was involved in a crash with a civilian's car at 16th and Spring Garden streets.

There have been at least 505 car crashes involving Philadelphia police officers this year, said Officer Tanya Little, a Police Department spokeswoman.

Four officers were in the patrol car when yesterday's accident occurred, but only the driver and passenger sitting behind the driver were hurt. The injuries were not life-threatening, an officer in the Accident Investigation Division said.

The patrol car was traveling north on 16th Street about 7:45 a.m. with its lights on and sirens blaring when it collided with a car driving east on Spring Garden, the AID officer said.

The circumstances of the accident still are being investigated, he said.

The AID officer said it was not clear whether the traffic light at the intersection had been green. "That's all still under investigation," he said.

The two injured police officers were taken to Hahnemann University Hospital. The driver of the civilian car was a 25-year-old woman who complained of pain and soreness but was not taken to the hospital, the officer said.

AID said it could not identify either the police officers or the civilian driver.

All four officers riding in the patrol car were from the 23rd Police District, at 17th and Montgomery streets in North Philadelphia. They were called to aid an officer who had requested back-up while dealing with an intoxicated man, Little said. *