Two road crashes at the same location in Nicosia within about three and a half hours are being investigated by police, with both drivers found to have been over the legal alcohol limit.
First crash leaves driver slightly injured
The first crash happened at around 10pm on Sunday, when a 44-year-old driver travelling along Agiou Prokopiou Street towards Parisinoa roundabout lost control of his vehicle.
The car hit a metal street-light pole and came to a stop between the two traffic lanes. The driver suffered minor injuries and was taken by ambulance to Nicosia General Hospital.
A breathalyser test recorded a final reading of 42μg, compared with the legal limit of 22μg.
Police temporarily closed the street between Parisinos roundabout and the traffic-light-controlled junction of Agiou Prokopiou and Griva Digeni streets to allow repairs to the damaged pole.
Second crash hits police patrol car
At around 1.30am, while the repair work was under way, a second crash occurred at the same location.
A car driven by a 22-year-old man, exiting Parisinos roundabout and entering Agiou Prokopiou Street, collided with a police patrol car parked at the scene for safety purposes. The patrol vehicle had its headlights and warning beacons switched on.
A police officer inside the patrol car was injured and taken to Nicosia General Hospital for examination.
The 22-year-old driver recorded 57μg in an alcohol test, well above the 22μg legal limit.
Both drivers were issued with out-of-court fines for drink-driving. The two injured people are expected to be discharged from hospital.
Nicosia Traffic Police are continuing their investigation into both incidents.
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