Lincoln police sergeant injured in head-on collision with impaired driver, police say

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A Lincoln police sergeant was injured on Friday after an impaired driver hit his cruiser.

Around 12:15 a.m., the sergeant was driving west on O Street in his marked police cruiser near 33rd Street when he saw 19-year-old Caden Parham driving the wrong way on O Street.

According to the police department, the sergeant stopped his cruiser and activated his overhead lights to alert Parham, whom he witnessed on his phone.

Parham’s 2017 Ford Fusion collided head-on with the cruiser, according to LPD.

After the crash, LPD said Parham backed up and tried to drive over the median, but got stuck, and the sergeant told Parham to get out of the vehicle.

Additional officers conducted a DUI investigation, and Parham was arrested on suspicion of DUI, refusal to submit a test, reckless driving and failure to leave an accident.

LPD said the sergeant had a headache and neck pain from the crash, but is expected to be OK.

“We want to thank him for stepping up in this moment, putting himself in harm’s way, which likely prevented other drivers from being injured in a collision,” LPD said. “We know this crash could have been much worse, and we are grateful the injuries to our sergeant were minor.”