By RUSS OLIVO

WOONSOCKET — Four people were injured when two large SUVs — one a city-owned vehicle operated by an on-duty policeman — collided in the North End Tuesday afternoon.

Diane Cruz, 38, of Front Street, suffered a deep head laceration that required more than 20 staples to close, said Detective Lt. Timothy S. Paul. Cruz was taken to Rhode Island Hospital and released after being treated, said Paul.
Three other people were taken to Landmark Medical Center with minor injuries, including Detective Sgt. Luke Simard, 47, the driver of the other vehicle. Two 16-year-old girls who were riding with Cruz were also taken to the hospital, Paul said. All were released after treatment.
Cruz and Simard collided about 5:26 p.m., said Paul. She was driving a GMC Yukon southbound on Prospect Street, while Simard was traveling west on Winter Street in an unmarked Ford Expedition. Paul said Simard was on duty but he wasn’t using emergency lights or a siren at the time of the crash.
“He was on patrol. He wasn’t chasing anybody, he wasn’t tailing anybody,” said Paul. “He was just driving down Winter Street.”
Cruz struck her head against the A-pillar of the vehicle — the metal frame separating the windshield from the driver’s side window — as the big vehicles smashed into each other, according to Paul.
There is a stop sign at the foot of Prospect Street that Cruz had to pass through to reach the intersection with Winter Street, Paul said.
But there is no evidence that either driver was at fault, at least not at the moment. Police are still interviewing witnesses, as the crash remains under investigation, he said.
He and Detective Blaine Sheppard, an expert in accident reconstruction, are in charge of the investigation, said Paul.
Simard took no time out of work after the crash, said Paul. He returned for his normal shift on Wednesday.