RI officer dies after cruiser strikes pole

Maxwell Dorley, 42, was responding to a call for backup

By PoliceOne Staff

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A police officer died after his patrol crashed as he drove to provide backup for a reported disturbance.

Officer Maxwell Dorley, 42, lost control of his cruiser and hit a pole behind an area at Providence College on Thursday, The Republic reported.  The car ended up on a concrete wall with the pole on top of it.

Dorley, 42 was taken to the Rhode Island Hospital but was declared dead. He was a 15-year veteran of the Providence Police Department.

Officer Maxwell Dorley, 42, lost control of his cruiser and hit a pole behind an area at Providence College on Thursday. (Image 630WPRO.com/Steve Klamkin)

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An eyewitness to the crash said, "I saw all the telephone wires shaking, so I got off the porch and saw the pole falling and a bunch of smoke and as I was running down the street I noticed it was a police car."

Police said no other vehicles were involved.