Police officer banned from driving after Wolverhampton smash left colleague trapped in car
A police officer has been banned from driving after a crash which left his colleague trapped inside the car.
The marked police car smashed into railings and rolled onto its side after colliding with a transit van while responding to an emergency incident.
PC Ben Penfold who was driving the car managed to free himself from the car, while the Fire Service was required to free his trapped female colleague.
Both were taken to hospital following the smash in June of last year where they were treated for minor injuries and discharged.
The marked Vauxhall Insignia hit the van and, after crashing into railings, rolled on its side trapping the female officer.
The van driver, a 49-year-old man, was seen by ambulance crews at the scene at the junction of Bilston Road and Steelhouse Lane, but required no further treatment.
PC Penfold was today banned from driving for 12 months at Birmingham Crown Court after pleading guilty to dangerous driving at an earlier hearing.
PC Penfold will be required to sit an extended retest before getting behind the wheel again. He was also fined £750 and ordered to pay £250 costs.
The road remained closed for several hours following the smash while officers worked to establish the cause of the collision and to clear the wreckage.
He was not suspended from duty while the case was on-going, but was suspended from driving. He will now face an internal disciplinary hearing.
