Norwalk Police Officer Seriously Injured

[jcoppola 52]

Date: 9-26-2007

Time: 12:15

Location: Connecticut Ave. Underground Powerline Project Site

Frequency:

Units Operating: NPD, NFD, Norwalk Hospital EMS

Description Of Incident: A Norwalk police officer sustained a serious head injury Wednesday morning when he was struck by a trench box. Officer John Russell Wynkoop was directing traffic at a construction site on Connecticut Avenue at about 12:15 a.m. when he was hit by the large steel box, which is used to prevent sidewall cave-ins of trenches. The construction site is part of Connecticut Light & Powers installation of high-voltage power transmission cables beneath Connecticut Ave. After the accident, worked stopped for over an hour while police and personnel from the construction company investigated what occurred. Police at the scene said Wynkoop was knocked unconscious by the blow, but regained consciousness by the time he was placed in ambulance and taken to Norwalk Hospital. Wynkoop is the second-longest serving police officer on the force, which he joined in 1975.

Writer: J. Coppola

PS: Incident description courtesy of The Norwalk Hour Newspaper and Reporter Harold Cobin, who covers Police & Fire matters for the newspaper. I will post Officer Wynkoop's condition when I get more details.