Woodstock police officer injured in car accident

A Woodstock police officer injured in a three-car accident at U.S. Route 14 and Dean Street Monday evening was treated and released after being flown to a Rockford Hospital.

A 15-year-old driving with a learner's permit was ticketed for failure to yield when turning left, according to the McHenry County Sheriff's office.

Officer Eric Schmidtke was traveling east in his squad car on Route 14 when a car driven by the 15-year-old turned into his path and struck the squad car, the sheriff's department said in a news release.

The squad car then struck another car that was stopped for a traffic signal while headed north on Dean Street.

The Woodstock Fire department extricated Schmidtke from the squad car and transported him to Woodstock Hospital.

He was flown to St. Anthony's Hospital in Rockford, then released the same night.

The McHenry County Sheriff's Accident Investigation Unit continues to investigate.