By John Luciew
The Patriot-News, Harrisburg, Pa.
WHITE OAK, Pa. — Vice President Mike Pence shed that title and acted like an EMT after his western Pa. motorcade was involved in a collision with a dump truck Thursday, injuring two Pittsburgh police officers.
As the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports, the Pittsburgh police department noted in a statement that Pence got off his damaged tour bus “to tend to the officers personally; a gesture that was greatly appreciated by the officers themselves, and by the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police.”
The police statement goes on:
“Pittsburgh Public Safety would like to thank Vice President Pence and members of the United States Secret Service for the concern and attention they showed the two injured officers.”
Both officers were on motorcycles escorting the motorcade. They were part of the city’s Special Deployment Division and were taken to a hospital where they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, the Post-Gazette reports.
The accident that injured the officers was actually the second of the day, occurring a few minutes following a minor collision involving Pence’s bus and the dump truck, the Post-Gazette reports.
The motorcade headed to the Greensburg area reportedly came to a standstill around 11 a.m. and was back on the road about a half hour later, according to pool reports.
Pence was not injured and rode in a limousine to complete his campaign rally in Greensburg and tour of the Guy Chemical Co. in Somerset.
Pence did not comment on his role as an impromptu EMT, but he did acknowledge and thank all police in a Q and A with pool reporters.
“Grateful for all of the law enforcement officers who support us and help get us safely to where we are going each day. Thank you for all you do!” Pence told reporters, according to NBC News.
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