A Renton Police officer was carried about 100 feet on the front end of a Toyota pickup truck Tuesday night after he was hit by the truck while diverting traffic in the Highlands away from the four-alarm apartment fire on Harrington Avenue, according to Renton police.
The officer, Mike Thompson, who has been with the department for about a year, was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.
“He’s going to be OK,” said Mayor Denis Law, who was at the scene of both the accident and the four-alarm fire at the Harrington Square Apartments just a few blocks away.
Thompson was treated at Harborview and released.
The driver of the Toyota, a 29-year-old man, was taken into custody for investigation of reckless driving and driving under the influence.
On Wednesday, bail for the man was set at $2,500 in Renton Municipal Court on charges of driving under the influence, reckless driving, driving with a suspended license, failure to use a vehicle interlock device and failure to obey a police officer. He was still in Renton Municipal Jail late in the week.
The Police Department’s Traffic Unit conducted the on-scene investigation. The Washington State Patrol also is participating in the investigation.
Thompson was hit at about 9:25 p.m. while directing traffic at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard Northeast and Edmonds Avenue Northeast. The Toyota, southbound on Edmonds, collided with a Honda in the intersection when the driver turned left onto Sunset, failing to yield the right of way, according to Renton Police.
The Toyota continued east on Sunset in the westbound lanes and hit Thompson, who was directing traffic, according to police. Thompson was thrown across the front end of the Toyota and carried approximately 100 feet on the vehicle before he was thrown free, according to police.
Thompson then rolled under the front end of another vehicle stopped in the westbound lanes of Sunset. The Toyota crossed over the center median and into the eastbound lanes, where it collided with a parked Renton Police car and came to a stop.
Thompson was treated for his injuries at Harborview and was released several hours later. The drivers of the vehicles involved in the collision were not injured.
