A Caledonia Police officer is recovering from minor injuries that occurred when his squad car rolled over and caught on fire during a police chase on Saturday, July 8, 2023.
According to the preliminary investigation, the officer was trying to catch up to a vehicle going 90 mph in a 45 mph zone near the intersection of State Highway 32 and Harvest Lane in the village of Caledonia.
Multiple vehicles yielded to the officer, who did have the lights and sirens running in his marked car, as he worked to catch up to the speeding driver. An SUV attempted to turn in front of the squad car and both the squad and the SUV crashed.
Police say the squad car was pushed off the road and rolled onto its roof. A fire then began in the engine compartment and the vehicle became fully engulfed in flames.
According to a news release from the Caledonia Police Department, “the officer, with the help of good Samaritans, was able to free himself from the squad before the fire had spread to the passenger compartment of the vehicle.” The officer, who has not been identified, has been with Caledonia police for six years.
The other vehicle had two people inside it but no injuries were reported to either person.
The Wisconsin State Patrol are investigating the accident since a Caledonia Police Officer was involved in the crash.
