By JOSEPH B. NADEAU
 
WOONSOCKET — An unidentified woman was undergoing treatment at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence Tuesday after she suffered serious injuries in a two-vehicle accident involving a city police department detective at Winter and Prospect streets.

Two other occupants of the woman’s charcoal GMC Yukon were transported by rescue to Landmark Medical Center, and the unidentified city police detective, operating an unmarked blue Ford Expedition, was also treated at Landmark and released, according to police.
The 5:15 p.m. accident occurred at the intersection as the woman was reportedly heading along Prospect. The police department SUV had been heading up Winter in the direction of Harris Avenue when the collision with the Yukon occurred. The Yukon sustained extensive damage to the driver’s side of the vehicle and lost a wheel as it came to a stop on the other side of the intersection on Prospect Street. The police vehicle was stopped in the middle of the intersection with damage to its front end.
Police Lt. Eugene Jalette declined to identify the parties involved Tuesday while an investigation of the incident continued.
“It goes to the accident review board and will be dealt with that way,” Jalette said, while noting the accident reconstruction team would need to complete its review before any comment could be made on the incident.
Witnesses at the scene said the Yukon appeared to have entered the intersection, with a posted stop sign, and was struck by the police SUV as it crossed.
Tom Brien was at home nearby at 442 Prospect St. when he heard a loud bang at the intersection.
“I was here in seconds and could see her down on ground,” outside the Yukon, Brien said.
Brien said he told the other occupants of the vehicle who were assisting the woman not to move her until help arrived.
The rescue crews responding from the city and North Smithfield assisted the victim at the location before transporting her to Rhode Island Hospital.
The police detective was reported to have suffered a cut on his arm and the Expedition’s airbag could be seen deployed inside.
Brien said the intersection is a dangerous one with several other accidents occurring at the spot over the years.
A collision at the site last year caused a vehicle to flip over repeatedly before coming to a rest in a yard off Prospect, he noted. The woman in that vehicle was not seriously hurt, he said.
“Her car flipped over three times into that yard and she walked away,” Brien said. Tuesday’s accident prompted police to block off the intersection with police tape for a time while the investigation continued. Police at the station Tuesday night said more information on the incident should be available today.