Members LoginAnother police officer is injured in a burning Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor
PBA, 2004-07-27
An Arlington police officer has suffered burns as the result of his Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor catching on fire when it was rear-ended by another vehicle. The New York State Troopers PBA, along with numerous other law enforcement unions and agencies, has been pushing for safety improvements to the patrol cars because of their apparent propensity to burst into flames upon rear impact.
Below is a link to an article as well as the text of a Dallas Morning News article regarding this latest incident.
Arlington officer hurt in fiery crash 
08:55 PM CDT on Friday, July 23, 2004
From Staff Reports
A Fort Worth man has been arrested on two counts of intoxication assault after his SUV slammed into an officer’s squad car on Interstate 30 early Friday, sending the officer and an SUV passenger to the hospital.
Police said Officer Michael Moses, 30, had pulled over a driver for a traffic violation around midnight on eastbound I-30 near Cooper Street when an SUV driven by Ricky Cantrell, 21, veered onto the shoulder and slammed into the back of Moses’ patrol car.
A fire ignited upon impact and quickly engulfed both vehicles, police said.
An off-duty police officer from Fort Worth and another from Grand Prairie traveling on the interstate stopped and helped pull Moses from the burning vehicle, police said.
Several citizens also stopped and helped pull Moses and a female passenger inside the SUV out of the vehicles.
A CareFlite helicopter took Moses and the female passenger, identified as Cantrell’s wife, Claire Cantrell, 23, to Parkland Memorial Hospital.
Moses suffered second-degree burns and has been listed in serious but stable condition, police said.
Claire Cantrell was also listed in serious, but stable condition.
The driver of the car that was initially pulled over by Moses suffered minor injuries, but refused treatment at the scene, police said.
Cantrell was arrested at the scene and transported to Arlington Memorial Hospital. Police said they are still awaiting results from a blood sample taken from Cantrell.
He is currently being held in the Arlington jail on two counts of intoxication assault. Bond was set at $50,000, police said.
Police said Moses’ squad car, a Ford Crown Victoria, was fitted with a factory-installed safety shield.
Ford has been involved in a lawsuit over the safety of the vehicle in rear-end collisions since it was found that 18 police officers, including Dallas police officer Patrick Metzler, had died in fiery rear-impact crashes in the vehicle.
Dallas officials have said the safety shields installed by Ford do not offer enough protection in rear-end collisions.