Authorities investigating crash on S.C. 31 involving Horry County police car

A crash involving an Horry County police car on S.C. 31 northbound, one mile north of Robert Grissom Parkway, closed two lanes of traffic part of Thursday morning.

The crash happened at 8:50 a.m. and another crash occurred on S.C. 31 a few miles away around the same time. Lanes were closed for about two hours while police worked to clear things up, according to the South Carolina Department of Transportation website.

According to Cpl. Sonny Collins with the South Carolina Highway Patrol, a driver tried to change lanes and didn’t see the Horry County police car.

Collins said the officer had to make some “evasive maneuvers” to avoid being hit by the car, but lost control of the vehicle, spun on the road, and crashed into a median.

The officer was taken to the hospital to be examined after suffering minor injuries.

Lisa Bourcier, Horry County spokeswoman, said Thursday afternoon that the officer had been treated and released from the hospital.

Collins said the other driver involved left the scene after nearly hitting the police car. He said SCHP troopers did not have much information about the vehicle, but they were actively searching for the driver.

“We don’t have a lot to go on now, and we would appreciate any calls from anyone who witnessed the accident,” Collins said.

The other crash happened about 9 a.m. Thursday on S.C. 31 near Robert Grissom Parkway and one car ended up in a ditch, but Collins said he did not have details on that incident.

Anyone with information on the crash involving the Horry County police car can call the Highway Patrol Office at 843-365-5001.

This story was originally published September 24, 2015 at 10:46 AM with the headline "Authorities investigating crash on S.C. 31 involving Horry County police car."