Niles police officer injured in hit-skip accident today

March 17, 2013 at 5:30p.m.

Staff report

NILES

A 33-year-old Niles police officer was injured, and the other driver was jailed after a two-car hit-skip crash on McKees Lane early today, the Ohio State Highway Patrol said.

Officer Daniel Myers of Niles, who was driving a marked police cruiser, was taken to St. Joseph Health Center, after the 1:10 a.m. accident.

At mid-afternoon Sunday, Niles Police Lt. Jim Villecco said Myers had been discharged from the hospital.

The other driver, Matthew Stein, 20, of Vienna, was taken to Trumbull County jail on charges of underage drinking, driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident, the state patrol said.

Stein was driving a car westbound on McKees Lane, when he went off the right side of the road and struck the police cruiser, which the patrol said was legally parked in the driveway of a private business.

After the crash, Stein left the scene, and Niles police stopped him several miles from the crash site, the patrol said.

Stein suffered minor injuries, according to a state patrol news release.

Neither a state patrol dispatcher, nor a state patrol sergeant, nor Villecco, could provide additional information this afternoon.