A Jacksonville police officer was seriously injured overnight when a driver fleeing a police pursuit drove the wrong way on I-95 and hit his cruiser head on, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, officers were pursuing a reckless driver on I-95 at Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway. During the chase, the man drove his SUV into the oncoming lanes, going northbound in the southbound lanes on I-95, police said.
An officer on the highway trying to close down the interstate to prevent a crash was hit head on in his patrol car, police said.
Both the officer and the driver were taken to the hospital. JSO said the officer suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries, and the driver’s injuries were minor.
Charges are expected against the driver. It is still early on in the investigation, but police said they believe drugs and alcohol were a factor in the crash.