A Duluth police officer had some bad luck earlier this week when he was hit twice on the same snowy afternoon, while driving two different squads, just a few blocks apart in downtown Duluth.
At about 3 p.m. Wednesday, Officer Ian Johnson was parked on the lower side of Third Street, west of Fourth Avenue West, as he was writing up a report on an earlier crash.
The driver of an SUV traveling west on Third Street rear-ended Johnson's squad car. The driver, who had a green light to cross Fourth Avenue West, reported that she had swerved to avoid another SUV sliding down the icy avenue.
Her vehicle and the squad suffered moderate damage. The other SUV, which may have grazed the second vehicle, could not be located.
Just over two hours later, Johnson was in a different squad, an SUV, and stopped at a red light on First Street at First Avenue West when a vehicle rear-ended him again. In that case, the driver stated that she was unable to stop in time; she was cited for following too closely.
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While no one was injured in the collisions, "it is certainly a reminder how dangerous it can be handling even a basic property damage accident," said Jim Hansen, public information officer for the Duluth Police Department. "With the forecast of a new winter storm on the way we are urging the public to slow down and drive safely for the conditions for their safety as well as ours."
