Denver officer seriously injured by fire truck at end of Nuggets parade
A fire truck near the end of Denver’s celebratory parade for the Nuggets’ NBA finals victory, carrying Nuggets players, hit a police officer, who was transported to a hospital with serious injuries, authorities said Thursday morning.
The fire truck struck the Denver police officer a block from the end of the parade route near the Denver City and County Building amid thousands of celebration revelers, as it was turning right onto Cherokee Street from West 13th Avenue, Denver police spokesman Douglas Schepman said. “There were players on the truck that was involved,” Schepman said.
“It was a non-life-threatening injury,” he said.
Police officials later wrote on Twitter that the officer suffered a serious lower leg injury and that he was listed in serious but stable condition.
UPDATE: The officer is in serious and stable condition with a serious lower leg injury. The cause of the crash remains under investigation at this time. — Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) June 15, 2023
A reporter at the scene saw sheriff’s department SWAT officers pick up the officer and shuttle him off the street in a cart. Barricades were set up in the area to keep the crowds away from the fire truck. The officer who was hit appeared to be on the other side. A group of Nuggets players who were riding on the truck, including Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and team president and governor Josh Kroenke, were escorted away in a Humvee.
Alert: A DPD officer was struck by a fire truck near the end of the parade route at W. 13th Ave/Cherokee St. The officer was transported to the hospital with serious injuries and the crash is under investigation. Updates posted as available. pic.twitter.com/IIyD0xIBeF — Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) June 15, 2023
The fire truck remained at the scene while officials investigated the cause of the collision.
This happened at 11:56 a.m. amid thousands of revelers jammed into downtown Denver, a scene that observers described as a “madhouse” with people climbing over barriers. It was the second incident this week that marred the celebration of the Denver Nuggets NBA championship, following a shooting that left at least 10 people injured early Tuesday near the intersection of Market and 20th streets. Police said that the shooting likely was related to a drug deal amid what had been a jubilant crowd of revelers.
“The police officers and DPD staff in the command post when this occurred were certainly concerned for the well-being of the officer,” Schepman said. “We did have executive staff members head over to the hospital to be with the officer.”
Sports editor Matt Schubert contributed to this report.
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Source: The Denver Post
