A man who crashed into a Belmont police cruiser Friday said he was distracted by a child in the backseat of his car when he crossed over the center line of the road, police said.
Nicholas Bracy, 22, of Tilton was driving on Union Road near the intersection of Ephrams Cove Road just before 1 a.m. when he struck a police 2018 Ford Explorer, Belmont police Capt. Richard Mann said.
Mann said the officer saw Bracy starting to swerve seconds before the crash and was able to pull to the right fast enough to avoid a head-on collision. Bracy hit the officer in the rear of the police car, Mann said.
No one was injured, but $5,000 damage was done to the police SUV. The crash is officially being investigated by the Northfield police, Mann said.
Mann warned that the damage from distracted driving can often be a lot worse than a car in need of repair.
“The Ford can be fixed much easier than people,” Mann said. “Everyone on the road is at risk from distracted drivers, even us.”