Minnesota police officer injured in crash, returns to finish shift

DILWORTH, Minn. (FOX 9) - A police officer in Dilworth, Minnesota, a small town near the North Dakota border, was injured in a crash Sunday night, treated for minor injuries at the hospital and returned to finish his shift. 

Officer Elias Hoversten had just started a 12-hour shift when, around 7:30 p.m., his squad car was struck by a driver attempting to make a left turn on County Road 9, according to Dilworth Police Chief Ty Sharpe. 

Hoversten injured his wrist and arm, and suffered some burns and whiplash when the airbags went off. His injuries were minor, but he was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. 

Dilworth is a town of around 4,300 people and the police department is small, Sharpe said. Hoversten was the only officer on duty that night. 

Sharpe said the department had arranged to have someone cover the remainder of Hoversten’s shift, but he said he wanted to come back and finish the night. He was released from the hospital around 11 p.m. and went back to work until 7 a.m.  

“It’s a small man department,” Sharpe said. “Sometimes it takes that extra step for us to maintain that 24-hour coverage. [Hoversten] is an excellent trooper for coming back to finish his shift and help us out.” 

The other driver in the crash was not injured, but they were cited.