Posted on 03/03/2009 12:34:00 PM PST by nickcarraway
A Jacksonville police officer was reading her in-car laptop moments before her cruiser rear-ended an empty gasoline tanker truck Monday morning, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
Officer Amanda Meyer, 29, was driving west in the 1500 block of Zoo Parkway about 8:30 a.m. when her car struck the truck, said Lt. Bill Leeper, a Highway Patrol spokesman. Leeper said the truck had stopped at a railroad crossing, as required by state law, and was about to head across when the accident occurred.
Leeper said Meyer had briefly glanced at her in-car laptop, which is mounted to her right, before the accident. When she refocused on the road, she tried to swerve to miss the truck, he said. The right front of her vehicle struck the truck.
The patrol car was traveling about 40 mph in a 45-mph zone when the accident occurred, said Sgt. Joel Johnson of the Highway Patrol.
Meyer suffered injuries to her left arm. She was taken to Baptist Medical Center, where she was treated and released. The truck driver, Andrew Holmquist, 42, was not injured. The truck is owned by Florida Rock & Tank Lines.
Leeper said investigators have yet to complete the accident report or determine if charges will be filed against Meyer. This is her first wreck as a police officer.
The Sheriff's Office has no written policy regarding the use of laptops by officers in transit, said J. Carson Tranquille, chief of patrol east. Tranquille said officers are told during training not to read or type on their laptops while driving.
Of the lack of a written policy, Tranquille said, "We're going to look at it."
(Excerpt) Read more at jacksonville.com ...
That’s ok but you peasant, may not talk on your phone while driving.
Man, the Chevys sure don’t take a punch as well as the Crown Vics, do they?
Not clear here WHAT she was reading on the laptop. I would think that in some situations, information that the officer needs en route to a call would be coming through the laptop.
Is there a limit?
Once, when my car broke down, I was getting a ride from an officer. I remember being surprised that while driving on the highway, he barely took his eyes off the laptop the whole time.
CAD-computer aided dispatch.
What I am wondering.... MySpace or FaceBook?
BS. Already the big blue wall comes down. Every state has reckless driving laws. Prosecute her under those and be done with it.
“So, how big of ticket did the truck driver get for ...? for ...? just shut up and take the ticket.”
You took the words right off of my fingertips. LOL It’s ALWAYS the truck’s fault, don’cha’ know?
NO problem, a little compund and it’ll buff out.
ping
Cops talking on radio, watching RADAR, watching Laptop, using Nextel and jamming to tunes on the stereo. Any cop who issues tickets for talking on cell phone is a hypocrite of the highest order.
Sounds like what happened in my town. Highway trooper (female) blew through (70+ mph and red light) a large intersection without siren and was T-boned by opposing traffic. She died later at the hospital. The driver of the car that hit her was made out to be the bad guy and the subsequent investigation determined the incident merely an accident... police did not determine her to be at fault... though it was obvious she caused the accident.
So, will this have an impact on her insurance rates?
And cops will write a seat belt ticket as a primary violation, but they’re exempt from that same law in most states that have such a thing.
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