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Officer in hospital after accident
Published November 19, 2009
CLUTE — A Clute patrolman appeared to have been speeding and was not wearing his seat belt when he lost control of his patrol car early Wednesday, according to the Department of Public Safety investigator of the crash that left the officer in serious condition.
Officer Scott Morton, 41, of Richwood was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston for treatment of broken ankles, a broken pelvis, collapsed lung and slight bleeding in his brain, Clute Police Capt. Robin Carlton said.
“They’re serious, but they say he’s going to survive,” Officer Belinda Rickman said.
Morton was thrown about 40 to 50 feet from the 2007 Crown Victoria patrol car, which flipped at least twice after he lost control of it about 2:50 a.m. Wednesday, Department of Public Safety Trooper David Wyman said.
Morton was not responding to a call when the wreck occurred, and his lights and siren were not activated.
Morton was driving west on Highway 288, also called Highway 332, when he went onto the left shoulder, overcorrected and went across three lanes of traffic, Wyman said. The car hit a guardrail in the 1000 block of Highway 288 and appeared to have flipped two times.
“He’s pretty beat up,” Wyman said.
The car came to rest in the area alongside the highway in which frontage roads are under construction, Wyman said. It is a total loss, he said.
Wyman said it doesn’t appear Morton was wearing his seat belt. He was speeding at the time of the accident, Wyman said, but he would not say how fast Morton was going. The speed limit on that stretch of Highway 288 is 50 mph.
Speeding and not wearing a seat belt are against Clute Police Department policy and could mean Morton will face disciplinary action, Carlton said.
“He’s just like anyone else, he has to follow the law,” Carlton said.
If disciplinary action is deemed warranted, punishment options include a letter of reprimand or a few days off without pay, Carlton said.
The incident will be addressed with Morton after he recovers, he said.
“I’m more worried about him getting over his injuries,” Carlton said.
Morton worked for the Clute department for three years, then moved to the Richwood Police Department for a year before returning to Clute in June, Carlton said.
“He’s a good officer,” Carlton said. “He does his job, and he’s good at what he does.”
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