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Update: Racine Police Officer Suffers Minor Injuries After Crash with Semi

The Racine Police Department confirmed that an officer was taken to Wheaton Franciscan All Saint's with minor injuries after his squad car was clipped while traveling south on I-94.

 

**Updated 4 p.m.

Officer Tim Waystedt, an 18-veteran of the Racine Police Department, was taken to Wheaton Franciscan St. Mary's Tuesday after his squad car got wedged under one semi truck after he was clipped by a first semi truck.

According to Racine PD's Public Information Officer Sgt. Jessie Metoyer, Waystedt, 46, suffered minor injuries and by 4 p.m. was either released or getting ready to be released from the hospital.

Waystedt was driving southbound on I-94 near the 7-Mile Road exit when he was struck by a semi truck. Waystedt's car went into a spin and was wedged briefly under another semi before the car spun away and ended up in a ditch.

The accident is believed to have happened around 12:20 p.m.

"Officer Waystedt is a K-9 officer so he has a take-home car," Metoyer explained. "His canine partner, Marco, was not in the vehicle at the time."

Dash cam video is most likely not available since Waystedt was not on duty and would have had no reason to have his camera operating, she added.

A Wisconsin State Trooper confirmed neither semi remained at the scene and that only a brief color description was obtained by witnesses.

According to a press release from Wisconsin State Patrol, "The semi that caused the accident has a blue trailer, was last scene traveling southboud from the scene of the crash."

The trooper who answered the phone when we called described Waystedt's injuries to Patch.

"Officer Waystedt's air bag deployed so he did suffer some facial injuries and some back pain as well," he said. "Nothing life threatening and pretty minor considering."

Wisconsin State Patrol is handling the investigation and is asking for the public's help finding the drivers of the semi trucks. 

If anyone has any information, they can leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers. Tips that lead to arrest can also lead to a reward of up to $1,000 for the tipster. Call 1-888-636-9330, email:http://racine.crimestoppersweb.com, or text message: RACS to 274637(CRIMES).

Related Topics: Racine Police and Wisconsin State Patrol

Brian Sweeny

3:44 pm on Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Just out of curiosity, What was a city squad doing on the interstate?

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Kurt Kenna

4:11 pm on Tuesday, February 5, 2013

I agree with Brian, why is a racine police car on the Interstare...

JW

4:12 pm on Tuesday, February 5, 2013

They answered it... BECAUSE THEY CAN TAKE THE CAR HOME...

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Brian Sweeny

4:40 pm on Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Story was updated after my comment. That makes sense now.

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Laurie P

7:18 pm on Tuesday, February 5, 2013

With the camera system set-up on the freeway they can't get any additional information about the semi trucks involved???

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LMB52

8:08 am on Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Two semi trucks involved and both leave the scene? After one semi had the car wedged under it? No camera in operation? No witnesses? No dog? Took the car home to where? Well....huh. how about that!

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JQCitizen

9:31 pm on Wednesday, February 6, 2013

So, the City of Racine has enough cars in their fleet that their officers can take their car home?

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Heather Asiyanbi

10:03 pm on Wednesday, February 6, 2013

@JQCitizen - K9 officers typically have take-home cars because of the dog.

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Scott Wright

4:21 pm on Wednesday, April 24, 2013

What the K9's don't have 4 legs to walk? They are not left in the vehicle while they spend an hour or so writing up reports and chit chatting inside. Once they come out wof the police dept. with there dog they can hop in there own car or get on a bus or in a taxi at their expense. Why should the tax payor have to pay to buy more police cars so someone doesn't have to use their own car. GD it's not a free for all with tax payor money. If you don't have enough money in your bank account to buy a new tv, do you just go get one at the store because you say so? No you have to wait until you can afford it and almost every city in America CAN'T afford a new tv not to say a personal employer paid vehicle for their employees to drive around in.

Scott Wright

4:17 pm on Wednesday, April 24, 2013

They can take a car home at TAX PAYER EXPENSE. And how many firefighters/ambulance drivers lost there job because of cut backs, not enough money. They have more cars then they need to give out to police officers to use on their personal time and not in a line of duty. Police Dept's a city workers could get a small allowance to use there own vehicles for business use in conjuction with the Federal Tax system writing off business expenses. It is the greed and what's in it for me society now days.

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