Only officer's pride hurt in crash

An Oberlin police officer sustained no serious injuries as the result of a crash on Monday, Jan. 25.

Sgt. Steve Chapman was treated and released from Allen Community Hospital after he was hit in his patrol car while driving eastbound on East Lorain Street. According to police reports, Chapman's cruiser was struck in the intersection at Oberlin Road when Patricia Hungate of Oberlin failed to yield for the traffic light, which was flashing red for drivers on Oberlin Road.

Chapman's cruiser sustained substantial damage to the driver's side front door, which had to be cut out to extract Chapman from the wreckage. Hungate's SUV has substantial front-end damage, including the bumper ripped off and the passenger side headlight destroyed.

Police chief Tom Miller said an internal investigation showed Chapman was not at fault, and he will not receive any reprimand for the accident. He noted Chapman has been in at least two other accidents involving police cruisers during his tenure with the Oberlin police department.

"We spend a lot of time on the road, so it's unavoidable you're going to be in accidents," Miller said. "From this report, there was nothing he could have done. He was broadsided. He's just got that black cloud following him."

Hungate was cited for failure to yield. She pleaded no contest and was found guilty in Oberlin Municipal Court on Friday.