Driver slams into patrol car, pinning Van Buren County deputy

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Van Buren County Sheriff's Deputy hit by drunk driver

A Van Buren County Sheriff's Deputy was injured when a suspected drunk driver slammed into the back of his patrol car during a traffic stop in Decatur on Friday, July 3, 2009. (Photo provided)

By WSBT 24/7 News

Story Created: Jul 3, 2009 at 6:32 AM EST

Story Updated: Jul 3, 2009 at 11:06 AM EST

A routine traffic stop in Decatur just before 2 a.m. Friday turned into the unexpected when a suspected drunk driver plowed into the back of a patrol car — when the deputy was standing by the car’s trunk.

Deputies with the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department stopped a car on Delaware Street near Mills Road to check for a possible alcohol impaired driver. A potential suspect from that vehicle was placed in the back of the patrol car.

Deputy Matt Konkle went to retrieve a breath test kit from the trunk of his patrol car when another car slammed into him, pinning him between both vehicles, according to a sheriff’s department report.

Konkle was taken to Bronson/Lakeview Hospital in Paw Paw with leg and other injuries, but is expected to be released later Friday, according to the sheriff’s department.

The driver of the car that hit the officer and his car, a 26-year-old Dowagiac man, was arrested for driving while intoxicated.

The person who was sitting in the patrol car when it was struck, was found not to be intoxicated and was not physically injured in the accident, according to the sheriff’s department.

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