A Midland police officer is on administrative leave pending the results of an investigation into the Sunday morning wreck that led to the death of a 90-year-old Midland man, city spokeswoman Elana Ladd said Wednesday.
Roy Neely was driving a Toyota Prius eastbound on Wadley Avenue. As he turned north onto Ward Street, his car was hit by a Midland Police Department car being driven by Officer Christian Abrahim, Ladd said. After being hit by the MPD Crown Victoria – which was westbound on Wadley -- Neely’s car spun around and hit a Ford Expedition that was stopped on Ward facing southbound, she said.
Abrahim was responding to a disturbance call at the time the wreck occurred, which was about 11:45 a.m., according to a press release received earlier Wednesday. He is on administrative leave pending the results of the investigation.
“That is standard practice in a case like this,” she said. “Anytime there’s something severe which occurs, or is even accused of occurring, the officer is going to be placed on administrative leave.”
Ladd said among the things the investigation will determine is if the police car’s siren and lights were activated, if Neely was wearing a seat belt and the cars’ speeds at the time of impact.
Neely was transported to Midland Memorial Hospital, where he later died. Abrahim also was transported to the hospital and was treated and released, Ladd said. The Expedition driver was not injured.
Neely is the 42nd person to die on roads in Midland County this year and the fourth this month, according to Reporter-Telegram records. The most recent fatal wreck occurred Dec. 16, when two men died in a two-vehicle wreck on State Highway 158, according to a previous Reporter-Telegram article.
The year-to-date total equals the number of fatalities in 2013 and is two less than the total in 2014, according to newspaper records.