UNION CITY, Ga. — Several people were injured Monday morning following a four-car crash, including a Union City police officer.
The accordion-style accident squashed two vehicles between a flatbed tractor trailer and a police SUV K-9 unit.
The officer’s SUV collided with a silver Mercedes, which hit a red SUV. The red SUV then slammed into the back of a trailer stopped at a red light on South Fulton Parkway and Cascade-Palmetto Highway.
“The accident is still under investigation, so we can’t give any information in reference to how the accident occurred, but basically from what it appeared, the sun may have been a factor,” said Detective Gloria Hodgson with the Union City Police Department.
The drivers were heading eastbound, in the direction of the rising sun, around 8 a.m. Monday.
Officials with Fulton County told Channel 2 Action News that Officer James Messer was in critical condition. Gloria Hodgson with the Union City Police Department would only tell Channel 2's Steve Gehlbach that Messer was stable.
Union City and Fulton County Police are investigating to determine if Messer was distracted or blinded by the sun. They say they are also looking into whether the officer crashed into the back of the Mercedes, pushing each car into the next, or if all drivers failed to stop in time.
The truck driver was not hurt, but had the breath knocked out of him. The woman driving the red SUV and a man and woman in the Mercedes were taken to the hospital, along with Messer.
His partner, a Belgian Malinois, was also checked out by doctors.
“Our K-9, Pluto, has been taken to a local area vet to make sure he’s doing alright,” said Hodgson.
Investigators are not releasing the names of the other people involved in the wreck at this point.
WSBTV
