Policeman injured in A5 lorry chase drama 'may never return to frontline work'
A policeman who was injured when he was hit by a car while avoiding being attacked may never return to frontline work, it was revealed today.
More than two months on from the incident, the officer is still at home recovering from the serious leg and chest injuries he suffered and the criminal responsible remains at large.
The policeman ended up injured after he was attacked by a lorry driver he had been chasing by car and on foot along the A5 in November last year.
The dramatic pursuit unfolded near Lichfield during rush hour when the 39-year-old policeman tried to stop the skip lorry, which Staffordshire Police would later learn had been stolen.
After following the HGV in his patrol car until it pulled over, the officer was attacked while chasing the driver and a second man who ran away next to the main road.
It was as the suspect threatened the officer with a fallen tree branch that the policeman fell backwards into the carriageway and was hit by a passing car.
While the policeman lay in need of leg surgery, the suspect pulled the driver of a nearby Ford Fiesta out of their car and drove off in it. The Fiesta was later found abandoned near a social club in Pelsall.
Neither the driver nor the second man who fled through nearby fields have been prosecuted, and Staffordshire Police today released a new CCTV image as they made a fresh appeal for information.
DI Dan Ison said: "This serious incident has resulted in one of our officers being hospitalised and as a result of these injuries we don't yet know if he'll be able to return to work as a frontline officer and do the job he loves."
The lorry driver is described as being a white male, well built, around 6ft tall and in his late 20s, wearing a black jacket with a hood and black baseball cap.
The man who fled through fields is described as white, in his late 30s to early 40s, around 5ft 11in tall with a round face, small eyes and facial hair.
He was wearing a black hoodie and a dark beanie style hat rolled up above his ears.
Anyone with any information is urged to call Staffordshire Police on 101 quoting incident 583 of November 29 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
A 30-year-old man, from Leicester, was arrested several days after the incident but was subsequently released without any further action taken.
