Campton Hills police chief's car totaled in accident

Campton Hills Police Chief Daniel Hoffman is getting a new set of wheels after his squad car was totaled last month in an on-duty accident.

The chief said he was returning to the police station shortly after noon on March 3 when a woman driving a Toyota Prius turned in front of him, causing him to swerve and crash into a ditch.

Hoffman's 2009 Crown Victoria, purchased by the village early last year, was damaged beyond repair, he said, but neither driver was hurt.

"It could have been a lot worse," Hoffman said Wednesday. "I was going about 45 mph, and I couldn't even put the brakes on. It was that sudden."

Village board members on Tuesday voted to buy a 2010 Crown Victoria for $22,000 as a replacement. Hoffman, who has been driving a rented pickup truck since the accident, said the expense would be reimbursed through the other driver's insurance.

"Luckily, she had full coverage," he said.

According to police, the chief was southbound on Burlington Road when the Prius turned west on Empire Road, just feet in front of him. The Prius then struck the left side of Hoffman's squad as he swerved into a ditch south of Empire Road, avoiding other vehicles in the roadway.

Because of Hoffman's involvement, Kane County sheriff's deputies handled the investigation rather than local authorities. The other driver, a 58-year-old woman from St. Charles, was ticketed for improper turning, according to a police report. Hoffman, a former Aurora police commander who came to Campton Hills in December, said the crash left him sore and "a little shaken up" but otherwise he was fine.

"In 31 years of law enforcement, that was my first squad accident," he said.