Tampa police had one of those weeks where you start to wonder if their parking spots are cursed. In the span of about three days, officers were involved in two separate crashes, both times while sitting in marked patrol cars, and both times because of drivers who had no business being on the road in the first place.
The department shared the story on Facebook, and it’s the kind of thing that makes you shake your head and check your mirrors twice on the way to work. First up was a wrong-way driver who plowed through a neighborhood while impaired. A few days later, a second driver managed to fall asleep behind the wheel and drift right into another patrol car.
Nobody was hurt in either incident, which honestly feels like the only bright spot here. Two officers, two cruisers, two totally different ways of ending up in the same bad situation. If you’re keeping score at home, that’s a rough week for the Tampa PD fleet department.
We’ve all had close calls on the road, whether it’s someone drifting into our lane or a driver going 10 under in the fast lane for no apparent reason. But there’s a pretty significant difference between a garden-variety bad driver and someone who’s either impaired or nodding off at 40-plus miles per hour. Patrol cars are usually pretty hard to miss, with the lights, the reflective decals, and the general “please don’t hit me” energy they give off. And yet, twice in one week, that wasn’t enough.
Wrong-Way Down a Neighborhood Street
The first crash happened on July 22, when police say an impaired driver ended up traveling the wrong way through a residential area. That’s about as unpredictable a situation as it gets for an officer.
You expect chaos on the interstate at 2 a.m., but a quiet neighborhood street is supposed to be the safe zone. This one ended with a patrol car taking the hit.
A Nap Nobody Asked For
Just days later, a second driver reportedly fell asleep at the wheel and struck another patrol vehicle, said News Channel 8.
Drowsy driving doesn’t get nearly the attention that drunk driving does, but it’s arguably just as dangerous since a driver who’s out cold isn’t reacting to anything, brake lights, sirens, or otherwise.
The Bigger Picture for Everyone on the Road
Tampa police used the moment to remind folks that these situations put more than just officers at risk. Every time one of these calls goes sideways, it’s a reminder that patrol cars aren’t just sitting there for decoration.
There’s a person inside doing their job, and these back-to-back incidents are a good excuse to give yourself a little extra buffer around any emergency vehicle you spot, marked or not.