Police vehicle struck by semi-truck in overnight crash

A police vehicle was struck by a semi-truck overnight while the truck driver attempted to turn left at a Sarasota County intersection, according to Florida Highway Patrol.

Around 3:35 a.m. Thursday, a Venice police officer was sitting inside a marked patrol vehicle in a painted safety zone between the north and southbound lanes of Knights Trail Road at the intersection of Technology Drive enforcing moving violations, according to FHP.

The driver of the semi-truck was was stopped at a stop sign in the eastbound lane of Technology Drive at the same intersection, according to FHP. The driver then turned left onto Knights Trail Road, but the middle of the trailer struck the hood and driver’s side of Venice police vehicle while turning.

No injuries were reported in the crash, but the 64-year-old driver of the semi-truck was charged with careless driving.

This story was originally published August 31, 2017 at 6:41 AM with the headline "Police vehicle struck by semi-truck in overnight crash."