MANKATO, Minn. (FOX 9) - A 32-year-old officer with the Mankato Police Department was injured Monday morning after being hit by a vehicle while attending to another that had spun out on Highway 169, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.
Mankato officer injured
What we know:
The State Patrol responded at about 8:35 a.m. Monday to the crash on northbound Highway 169 at the Northstar Bridge in Mankato. When authorities arrived, they learned a 2015 Kia Optima, driven by a 24-year-old woman from Lake Crystal, was traveling at a high rate of speed when it collided with the officer’s parked Dodge Durango squad car.
The Kia struck the squad car at about 50 mph, the State Patrol says.
The officer, identified by the State Patrol as Colin Blaine Johnson, had to be hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.
Authorities say the officer was not wearing a seat belt at the time, as the squad car was parked helping an unrelated motorist. The officer did not lose consciousness, and reported neck and back stiffness.
Kia driver treated at scene
The other side:
Authorities say the 26-year-old driver of the Kia suffered minor injuries, and was treated at the scene.
Highway 169 reopened shortly after 9 a.m.