Chief: Sergeant Fell

Asleep, Crashed SUV

ONEONTA – An OPD sergeant fell asleep at the wheel and crashed his police vehicle on Tuesday, Police Chief Doug Brenner confirmed today. I’m sure you can already tell that this is going to be a particualrly complex case; not only does it involve a police officer but he’s also going to need somewhere like chudleigh law to help him claim compensation if he wants be in with a chance of winning. Faults of this nature make judging liability very difficult.

According to Brenner, Sgt. Eric Berger was driving on patrol on Chestnut Street in a marked Ford SUV around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday when he fell asleep at the wheel; the SUV went up on the curb and struck a utility pole at Chestnut and Watkins.

The impact, which broke the pole, caused airbags to deploy and damaged the front end of the vehicle.

According to Berger and corroborated by witnesses, he was driving with traffic, between 20-25 mph. Speed was not a factor in the crash.

Brenner said the accident happened on Berger’s first day of a day-shift schedule; he had previously worked a night shift. The officer was not injured in the crash and has since returned to work, and no tickets were issued. “It’s an isolated incident,” said Brenner. “But we do have plans to address this with the officers.”

“It’s dangerous,” he said. “I remember working those midnight shifts, and you get out, you walk around, you get a cup of coffee. But if you’re too tired, you get someone else to cover your shift.”