Serious crash involving Raleigh police officer, two taken to hospital

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Raleigh police officer and another driver were taken to the hospital after a serious crash that left the officer's car upside down.

The crash happened early this morning on the corner of Pender Street and Carver Street.

"It was like an explosion almost," neighbor Sadie Catlett said.

Power lines were brought down because of the crash and a power pole was broken.

"I walked out and I saw a car flipped over. I didn't know it was a cop car immediately, so my neighbor Sadie and I started walking over, and then 20 or so cop cars came streaming down the road," neighbor James Heath said.

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Raleigh Police Department said the officer involved in the crash went to the hospital with serious injuries. They have not been identified, but they were treated and released later the same day.

The driver of the other car was identified as a 48-year-old man. He was cited with a misdemeanor for failing to give information and help with the investigation.

The circumstances that lead up to the crash have not been released at this time. However, neighbors said they've had concerned about the safety of roads in the area.

One neighbor showed ABC11 a 2019 petition she helped circulate, which eventually got the speed limit of a nearby road reduced from 45 to 30 miles per hour. She said she messaged city organizers multiple times about addressing similar problems with side streets in the area -- such as Pender Street.

Those requests for further changes were not granted.

When asked about safety concerns in the neighborhood, a spokesperson for the city said, "The neighborhood asked for a lot of items and we directed them to the most appropriate next step in the process, which they took, and there have been no further evaluation requests, to the best of my knowledge, since we implemented the speed limit reduction step."

Neighbors told ABC11 the area serves as a cut-through for drivers along New Bern Avenue. They said speeding is a constant problem. They would like to see more 4-way stops installed or any other speed reduction measures taken. They would also welcome another traffic review from the city.