Jefferson City police officer recovering after crash

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Jefferson City Police Department said an officer is recovering after a crash Tuesday.

The crash happened a little before 9 p.m. at Highway 50 and Missouri Boulevard when a patrol car with lights and sirens on was hit by a pickup truck in the intersection, according to a JCPD crash report. The patrol car was on an emergency call, said JCPD Lt. David Williams.

The pickup truck driver, Jeremy Epps, 39, of Linn, told police he had a green light and was already in the intersection when he heard sirens, according to the report. Epps told police he swerved to avoid the patrol car but could not avoid the crash, the report says.

Epps was not injured. The officer driving the patrol car, Daniel Lopez, 36, was taken by ambulance to a hospital.

Williams said Lopez was evaluated and released from the hospital.

A passenger in the pickup truck was unhurt, Williams said.