ATLANTA, July 22 (UPI) -- An Atlanta police officer was in critical condition Saturday after the car he was driving collided with an ambulance responding to the same call.
Officer Peter Faatz, who had been with the department for about eight months, suffered severe head injuries in the Friday night accident, said the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
At a press conference held outside the emergency room late Friday, police Chief Richard Pennington said the rookie officer had experienced brain swelling as a result of the crash. The emergency medical technicians in the ambulance were not seriously injured.
The accident, which Pennington called a "freak" occurrence, is still under investigation, said Atlanta Police Department spokeswoman Natanya Albritton. Both vehicles were believed to have had their sirens and lights turned on when they smashed into each other at an intersection, the newspaper said.
