A Ross Township police officer directing traffic around a school homecoming parade in Ohio was struck by a turning car on October 1, 2026, in a collision captured by the officer’s body camera.
The footage shows a red sedan approaching an intersection before turning into the officer’s path. The camera falls as the vehicle strikes the officer, and other officers rush toward the car.
The officer was transported to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. Police later announced that they suspected the driver was impaired by drugs, although the department did not provide results from any impairment testing.
The collision occurred during the annual Ross Local School District Homecoming Parade, when officers had been assigned to redirect traffic away from the event.
Sudden Impact
The Ross Township Police Department shared bodycam footage capturing the moments surrounding the collision at Cincinnati Brookville Road and Hamilton Cleves Road.
Shortly before 5:39 p.m., the officer stood in the northbound lanes of Hamilton Cleves Road, managing traffic near the parade route.
A driver traveling westbound on Cincinnati Brookville Road approached the intersection in a red 2010 Toyota sedan and attempted to turn south onto Hamilton Cleves Road. As the vehicle turned, it struck the officer, abruptly sending the body camera downward.
Other officers wearing high-visibility vests immediately converged on the stopped Toyota. The footage shows them opening the driver’s door and ordering the motorist to exit.
The driver, wearing a gray T-shirt, steps out and is directed to stand aside while officers respond to the collision.
A separate camera positioned near a gas station also captured part of the aftermath, showing the Toyota stopped near a Route 126 sign with officers gathered around it.
Questions Remain
In its October 2 press release, the Ross Township Police Department identified suspected drug impairment as a possible factor in the crash.
The department did not explain what prompted that suspicion or whether the driver underwent field sobriety testing or toxicological testing. The Ohio State Highway Patrol took responsibility for investigating the collision, not the local police department whose officer was injured.
As of October 14, no verified follow-up information establishing the driver’s identity, arrest status, or criminal charges was available. Suspected impairment remains an investigative claim, not a confirmed finding.
The department’s initial release also did not identify the injured officer or update whether the officer had been discharged from the hospital.