Maries County sheriff: Deputy recovering after crashing on curve

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Maries County Sheriff Chris Heitman says a deputy injured in a crash Wednesday afternoon was home recovering the same night.

Heitman said in a Facebook post that the deputy was on the way to a fire call with a person trapped when he lost control on a curve on Route V and crashed. The deputy had moderate injuries and was taken by ambulance to a Rolla hospital, Heitman said.

Heitman said vehicle crashes are common in law enforcement because of the speeds at which officers must travel.

"After reviewing today’s incident, it was determined today was nothing more than an accident in a high risk situation," Heitman wrote. "The deputy was not negligent in his driving, speeds were appropriate for the seriousness of the call being responded to, and he was not driving distracted. It was an accident and one he was wearing his seatbelt in, which surely prevented a more serious injury."