A Maricopa County (Ariz.) sheriff's detention officer and three prisoners he was transporting were injured last Wednesday morning when their van was struck by a car on Interstate10.
The sheriff's van was transporting 15 prisoners from the Madison Street Jail to their court appearances in the East Valley when it was struck in the carpool lane near Broadway Road about 7:45 a.m.
The result was a traffic delay at the height of rush hour.
Authorities said Carlos A. Galindo, 28, of Phoenix, was driving a Nissan in the far right lane when he made an abrupt lane change and hit a nearby passenger minivan, causing it to roll.
Galindo crossed three more lanes before colliding with the sheriff's van, said Frank Valenzuela, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety.
The detention officer driving the sheriff's van and three prisoners were transported to the Maricopa County Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries.
The other 12 prisoners were taken to the jail's infirmary.
The windowless transport van was equipped with caged compartments for the seated prisoners, who were restrained by their ankles and wrists to minimize their risk of an escape in an accident, said Lt. Paul Chagolla, spokesman for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
Unless the inmates are considered violent, only one detention officer is required to transport them, he said.