Westmont Police Car Crash Explained

WESTMONT, IL – Westmont police were responding to an emergency over the weekend when two squad cars collided, police said Thursday.

Shortly after midnight Sunday, two officers were on their way to a call using their sirens and emergency lights, Sgt. Rolando Padilla said in an email to Patch. The crash occurred near Ogden Avenue and Oakwood Drive.

The preliminary investigation showed that while the officers were headed to the emergency, a driver in the left lane of travel failed to yield to them, Padilla said. That caused both officers to come to an abrupt stop in the left lane, resulting in the collision, Padilla said.

The driver of the other car was identified as Niel Weerakoon, 48, of Downers Grove. He was cited on a charge of failing to yield to an emergency vehicle, Padilla said.

Patch has filed a public records request for the report.