Dashcam shows head-on collision involving Middleton police cruiser

MIDDLETON, Wis. (WMTV) - New dashcam video shows the moments that led up to last week’s head-on collision involving a Middleton Police Dept. cruiser.

An update from the Middleton Police Dept. on Monday indicated two police department employees, who were identified as a patrol officer and a dispatcher, were hurt in the Feb. 15 collision and taken to the hospital for treatment. They were both treated for minor injuries and released.

The police department described the video as “yet another reminder of the dangers of operating while intoxicated,” noting that this was the fifth cruiser involved in a collision with someone subsequently arrested for driving under the influence.

In this instance, a 26-year-old man was booked for allegedly operating while intoxicated, operating while left of center and operating after revocation.

The video shows a light-colored Mazda sedan in the wrong direction of Century Ave., a four-lane road, shortly before noon. As the vehicle approached the police cruiser, audio indicates the officer activated the siren in an ultimately unsuccessful bid to get the driver’s attention and avoid a collision.