Two Injured When Deputy's Car Collides With Driver

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ Perry County Sheriff's deputy Tim Jablonski, Tamaroa, remains in stable condition this morning in St. Louis University Hospital with a broken hip and broken leg following a Monday night collision with a pickup truck south of Du Quoin.

The driver of a 2002 Ford F150 pickup truck, Kyle Jones, 18, of Pope Street in Du Quoin was in satisfactory condition at Marshall Browning Hospital as of the middle of the evening.

Because another law enforcement agency was involved, Illinois State Police at Du Quoin is investigating the 5:15 p.m. accident at the entrance to the Du Quoin State Bank's Southtown branch bank.

The preliminary accident report indicates that Deputy Jablonski was northbound in an east lane of Rt. 51 and had apparently just begun to respond to a call. One witness told investigators his red lights were on, but that has not been confirmed.

According to the report, about that time the Jones truck crossed in front of the Jablonski squad car as Jones was trying to enter the Du Quoin State Bank drive. The squad car struck the Jones truck in the passenger side, demolishing the squad car and causing moderate damage to the truck.

Despite the damage, witnesses say the vehicles were moving at normal speeds.

Inclement weather grounded all emergency evacuation helicopters and Jablonski's ambulance had a local police escort to St. Louis. A District 11 squad met the motorcade on I-64 and a St. Louis County squad met the ambulance as it crossed the Mississippi River into St. Louis.

Sheriff Keith Kellerman and Deputy Mike Plumlee checked on Kyle Jones' condition at Marshall Browning, then headed for St. Louis. Kellerman said Kyle was bruised, but apparently was not seriously injured. Jablonski suffered a dislocated hip and broken leg. The deputy faced surgery to install pins in a knee, deal with the broken leg and scheduled a second surgery to repair the hip.

Kellerman said that from his hospital room, the deputy apologized to the family and young man for the accident even though it was Jones who turned into the squad car's path. He will be cited for failure to yield, turning left. Kellerman thanked all for an extraordinary response to the scene by everyone.