Two crashes involving five cars, including three police cruisers, temporarily shut down part of the Courtney Campbell Causeway early Saturday morning.
Police say an officer originally responded to a disabled car on the side of the Causeway just after 3 a.m.
The officer was waiting for a tow truck with his emergency lights on when a car rear-ended him, according to police. The driver, 33-year-old Joshua Mayer, told officers he lost control of his car and hit the cruiser after looking down at his phone.
Two more police cruisers then responded to investigate the crash. Less than fifteen minutes after the first crash, police say another car slammed into a second officer’s cruiser, which then hit the other two cruisers.
A police department spokesman says both cruisers had their emergency lights on at the time of the second crash. The driver, 24-year-old Billy Chatman, told officers at the scene he fell asleep behind the wheel. Witnesses claim he was speeding at the time.
Officer Paul Bosco, Officer Michael Beaver and Officer Kevin Vigh were all either hit by the cars or hit by flying debris from the crashes, according to a department spokesman. They were taken to Mease Countryside Hospital and have since been released.
Mayer and Chatman were not injured, but both were cited for careless driving. Police say further charges could be forthcoming pending the investigation.
All westbound lanes of the Courtney Campbell Causeway were closed in the area while police investigated.
The Clearwater Police Department is reminding everyone to please move over anytime you see a police car or tow truck.
