Drunk driver hits two police cars at accident scene

Police said a drunk driver crashed into two police cars at the scene of a previous crash on Interstate 380 in Cedar Rapids early Wednesday morning.

Multiple emergency vehicles were along the northbound lanes of I-380 just north of Wilson Avenue SW after a semi and another smaller truck collided, which blocked the two outer lanes. No one was injured in the secondary crash, even though an officer was sitting in one of the squad cars, police said.

Jeff R. Burgess, 29, of Toddville, took the on-ramp from Wilson Avenue to I-380 around 12:40 a.m., and did not have his headlights on, police said. Despite the flashing lights on the squad cars and red indicator lights on the pavement to channel traffic to the left lane, Burgess' car first struck a Linn County sheriff deputy's car.

Cedar Rapids police Sgt. Cristy Hamblin said the deputy's car was unoccupied and on the right side of the open lane, when Burgess' car glanced off the bumper. Burgess continued and struck the bumper on the Cedar Rapids police car, which was parked on the left side of the road.

"It was kind of a pinball effect," Hamblin said.

Burgess pulled over to the right shoulder a few seconds later. Hamblin said he refused all tests, but had bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol. Empty beer cans were in the car, she said.

Burgess was arrested on suspicion of operating while intoxicated, failure to obey a traffic control device, failure to maintain control and other traffic charges.

Hamblin said both law enforcement vehicles sustained minor damage and could be repaired.

Because of the two crashes, two out of three northbound lanes on I-380 were closed from about 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.