Details skeletal on police-involved crash
State police released sketchy information today on a two-vehicle, police-involved crash on Jan. 14 that seriously injured a 47-year-old West Chester man.
Details skeletal on police-involved crash
State police released sketchy information today on a two-vehicle, police-involved crash on Jan. 14 that seriously injured a 47-year-old West Chester man.
An information report from the Embreeville barracks said Westtown-East Goshen Police Officer Michael J. O’Brien was traveling eastbound on West Chester Pike at 10:06 a.m. in a 2009 Dodge Charger when he entered the intersection with Westtown Way and struck the center of the driver’s side of a 2006 Acura driven by John M. Jacobs.
The report said Jacobs, who was taken to Paoli Hospital with “major injury,” had been traveling northbound on Westtown Way and was making a left turn onto West Chester Pike. The report listed “traffic-control signals” as a primary violation for the officer, who has not been charged. After impact, O’Brien’s vehicle traveled 50 feet into the westbound lane of West Chester Pike; the officer was not injured, the report said. Jacobs’ vehicle was pushed 100 feet east, coming to rest on the median.
Jacobs’ wife, Maria Jacobs, said that her husband is still hospitalized with “major injuries” and that the family values privacy. She declined further comment. Neither state nor local police returned telephone calls seeking comment, but Chester County First Assistant District Attorney Michael G. Noone said it’s standard procedure to assign an accident investigation to state police when a local officer is involved. “The investigation is ongoing,” he said. “As far as I know, the cause has not been determined yet.”
According to township web sites, O’Brien is a respected, three-year veteran of the Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police, where he is assigned to the Patrol Division. He is a graduate of Malvern Prep and Lynchburg College and completed his law-enforcement training at the Delaware County Police Academy in 2008. In May 2011, he was named “Officer of the Year,” an award that recognizes the dedication, integrity, service and honor of an officer and is voted on by other members of the department.
If this was any other citizen they would be under arrest or already charged with a crime. The police are not above the law, so what is taking so long to charge the officer with a crime? Thin blue line covering up for him?— Taxpaying Voter- This comment has been deleted. — DogBiscuitthedope
- Just after Christmas, a woman crashed into, and injured, a state cop that was parked in the middle of the road, near Kennett Square. She was charged with aggravated assault and had a $200,000 bail. Last I heard, she was still in jail. That's who.
— CCRichards 
Cop was probably drunk.- Skeletal???.... or sketchy?— KingOfPhilly
- hmmmm...10 days later we hear about it? sketchy— soccerdad1150
- What this story fails to mention is that the officer was escorting an ambulance through the intersection on a stretch of road where traffic was not moving aside for the ambulance, and that he had changed the light to safely and legally pass through. The driver, Mr. Jacobs, ignored the light and plowed ahead into the intersection anyway.
The only thing that is 'skeletal' here is the writer's journalistic integrity. Report on ALL of the facts, and talk to witnesses (which could have been done had this story not been 10 days behind).
— MCO - The story was "10 days' behind" because that's when police issued a report and then regrettably failed to return phone calls seeking more information. When more details became available, they were published. — kbradyshea
- You are wrong. The state police report and video prove that the light was red for the officer. The author is entirely correct. — Jwv
- “changed the light to safely and legally pass through”??? How can you even justify a police officer changing a traffic light unexpectedly on drivers and then plowing into an intersection at such a high rate of speed to crash into and cause another car to travel 100 feet in the opposite direction from which it was travelling? Explain to me how that is “safely” passing through the intersection. I don’t know how they do it in your neck of the woods, but from where I live, police, fire and emergencies come to a complete stop at every intersection before proceeding. Not to mention that the official police report indicates that the light was NOT changed and that it was the police officer “ignored the light and plowed ahead into the intersection anyway” (using your own words).— Driver X
