Involved a van and a patrol car
MESA, Ariz. (AP) _ An elderly man is dead and a police officer injured after a crash in Mesa.
Mesa police say the accident occurred Tuesday morning and involved a van and a female officer's patrol car.
Police say the driver of the van was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene. The victim's age wasn't immediately available.
Authorities say 49-year-old officer Helen Simmons needed to be extricated from her patrol car. She's being held overnight at a hospital for observation with non-life threatening injuries.
Police say the 23-year department veteran wasn't responding to a call when the accident happened.
Since the accident occurred in a county island, police say the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is conducting the investigation into the fatal crash.
