Photo courtesy of Ben Bishop
Click to enlarge photos.By Kelly Brooks
Marietta Daily Journal Staff Writer
MARIETTA - A Georgia State Patrolman heading west on North Marietta Parkway Wednesday morning rear-ended the vehicle in front of him, leading to a six-car accident, a patrol spokesman said.
No injuries were reported, state trooper Larry Schnall said.
Schnall said the accident occurred sometime after 11 a.m. Wednesday. Traffic had stopped or slowed for a vehicle turning left onto Roosevelt Circle and State Trooper Grant Rowe was unable to stop in time.
Rowe hit the car in front of him, which led to a chain of rear-ending involving four additional cars.
The back two wheels of the first car struck ended up on the hood of Rowe's state patrol car.
"We're still investigating it," Schnall said. "It appears that he simply didn't see the cars in time to stop."
Schnall said Rowe, who is assigned Post 9 in Kennesaw, was on general patrol and not responding to any call when the accident occurred.
kbrooks@mdjonline.com
Comment on this Story
Posted Comments
Wow.. That has always been a fear of mine as a Law Enforcement Officer. I've always been so paranoid about being at fault in a motor vehicle accident while on Patrol. God Bless him.
hey they are only human too. just goes to show even with all his training he still can mess up. it could happen to anybody
WHAT WAS HE DOING? DID HE GET A TICKET? WAS HE FOLLOWING TOO CLOSE? SAME RULES OF THE ROAD INCLUDES HIM?
This is why officers should not use their authority and speed!!!
I would like to know if a citation was issued. Most officers I see are always high fiving each other making snide remarks about "this one did not get away." And by the way, with all their training; why does it take 4-5 officers to handle one person? Seems to me that they are unable to handle situations on their own. Mr. State Patrolman should have been paying attention. What was he doing at the time? Obviously not watching the road. Maybe he can go to court and argue his lack of fault. Lee in Georgia
I have friends who are officers so this comes as no disrespect to those who do this for a living. BUT - there are a certain percentage of officers (thankfully low) who, once behind the wheel of a patrol car with lights, tend to get the "batmobile mentality". We're not supposed to talk on cell phones or play with a GPS while driving - the same should apply to officers. Take some time off guy - rethink the rules of the road when it comes to safety when you come back.
This is an example of what can/does happen when police officers do not follow the laws concerning driving on our roads that the rest of us are expected to follow... speeding, following too close, changing lanes without using their directional signals, changing lanes to get ahead of drivers following the speed limit (weaving in and out of traffic). I hope no other driver was injured.
Everyone Jumps on the band wagon and bash the police. Everyone loves the police when they need one thou. This guy probably drives between 50,000 and 100,000 miles a year. The odds are at some point in his career he may have a wreck. Little advise dont put your first and last name on a post
Please tell me he wasn't talking on his cell phone.
Probably looking at the laptop installed on his armrest.
That had to be a hard hit to put the other car on the hood of the patrolman's vehicle. He was obviously driving too fast for a residential area and not paying attention. State Trooper Larry Schnall said, "It appears that he simply didn't see the cars in time to stop." Even so, it is still considered following too closely. I hope he gets a tickets just like I would and a little time off to think about his driving skills.
SLOW DOWN...
He was to close to the car in front What will happen to him? Will he get the same treatment as you or me?
Hey give him a break,,, they are just like everyone ...but he should be ticketed as any other driver would have been...
Why is this still under investigation......when I ran into the rear of another car it took just a manner of minutes to issue me a ticket. I just bumped the car in front and there was not any damage. Lets all have to play by the same rules.
Did he get sited for following to close you would have.
yeah, but the cop doesn't get cited for following too close and the car that got hit has to deal with their insurance going up because the cop isn't at fault....right?