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Police officer stops to help elderly woman lying in snow; both are struck by car

Posted at 7:51 AM, Nov 18, 2014
and last updated 2014-11-18 16:22:39-05

MATTAWAN, Mich. — A police officer and an elderly woman who was lying in the snow, were both struck by a car early Tuesday morning.

According to the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office, Mattawan Police Officer Brian Matyas was on patrol in the area of Cole Avenue east of 25th Street at around 2:38 a.m., when he found a 74-year-old woman lying in the snow on the side of the road.

Officer Matyas stopped, called for an ambulance, and immediately started to assist the woman.  That’s when a car drove by and struck both the officer and the elderly woman.

Matyas suffered minor injuries that include bruises to his leg and hip.  The female victim was taken to the hospital where she is listed in stable condition.

The crash remains under investigation, and once it has been completed, the case will be forwarded to the prosecutor’s office for further review.