A Bangor police officer was responding to a request to help make an arrest when he made a U-turn into oncoming traffic and caused a crash.
Bangor Police Officer Brian Cronk, a nine-year veteran of the force, made a U-turn near the intersection of Finson Road and Ohio Street on Monday, Sgt. Jason McAmbley said. Cronk did not see an oncoming vehicle and hit it, causing it to roll over twice.
Cronk made the U-turn because he was going to help another officer trying to arrest an intoxicated and combative person, McAmbley said.
A child in the vehicle had minor injuries and was taken to the hospital. There is no update on the child’s condition as of Tuesday, McAmbley said. A male driver was not injured.
Cronk is not on leave, McAmbley said. Department policy mandates leave for officers involved in a shooting, because it can be a “significantly greater stressor” than when an officer is in a crash, he said.
The Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office is conducting the crash reconstruction and the investigation is in very early stages, Chief Deputy John Knappe said.