Pelham officer seriously injured in crash involving DUI driver

A Pelham police officer was seriously injured early Saturday morning after being hit during a wrong-way traffic crash.Pelham police Chief Brent Sugg said in a news conference that Officer Elizabeth Minter was seriously injured when she was hit by an impaired driver.At 12:30 a.m. a vehicle was driving the wrong way and hit two other vehicles on Interstate 65 south, south of exit 252 near the tank farm.Follow: Interactive traffic mapDrivers in those cars were injured and taken to a hospital.Pelham officers were handling traffic control north of that location where all southbound lanes of Interstate 65 were shut down, with traffic diverted to the offramp and onto County Road 52.Officer Elizabeth Minter, Officer Sam Knotts, and Officer Mike McGee were standing outside their police vehicles with all emergency lighting activated. They were all wearing reflective safety vests and utilizing flashlights to move traffic to the offramp.Just before 1 a.m. a driver ignored the backed-up traffic being diverted and continued southbound, also ignoring the police vehicles parked sideways in the road and officers' warnings to slow down.The driver, who police say was under the influence, hit Officer Minter at a high rate of speed.Officer Minter was struck so violently that she was thrown several feet and removed from her boots. A boot, flashlight, duty magazines, radio, and other equipment were thrown across four lanes of traffic and two exit ramp lanes.She was taken to UAB Hospital with numerous injuries. She is in serious, but stable condition and awaiting surgery.Chief Brent Sugg said, "Officer Minter remained conscious and alert after she was struck. She is surrounded by family, friends, and colleagues and is in good spirits," Sugg said. "She will undergo surgery in the days ahead and has a long road ahead of her, and we ask that the community lifts her up in prayer."Sugg said his officers encountered another dangerous situation at the same location Friday afternoon. Officers responded there just before 5 p.m. when a vehicle drove several times into a wall.Police said the driver and his father had overdosed on fentanyl. This was during rush hour traffic and posed a significant risk to many other drivers. Both suspects were hospitalized and arrested.Chief Brent Sugg said these two situations were extremely dangerous which ended with injuries due to the acts of reckless people.Both crashes are under investigation by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Sugg is pleading with people to take care this weekend because drugs and alcohol are making things more dangerous on the roads. And he said there will be much more traffic on this holiday weekend with people heading south to the beach.Sugg said, "Today, it was our family that was impacted. Tomorrow it may be your family."Minter is a mother of three and their sole provider. Sugg said she and her family are struggling right now and prayers are requested. The Pelham Police Auxiliary has set up a fund to help with medical and other expenses while she is out of work. The police department cannot accept cash. Checks should be made to the “Pelham Police Auxiliary” with "Officer Minter" in the 'for' line. Checks can be dropped off in person or mailed to the Pelham Police Department located at 32 Philip Davis Street, Pelham, Alabama, 35124. Her family has also established a GoFundMe for anyone who would like to make an online contribution. Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WVTM 13