An officer with the Houston Police Department, along with a toddler and his mom, were all hospitalized after an accident.

According to reports, while the officer apparently was on duty at the time of the wreck, he was not responding to a call. In such situations, police officers are generally expected to follow the laws of the road.

Authorities who investigated the accident said that the woman was taking her son to get treatment for vomiting. She was in the process of making a turn in to the parking lot of the health care facility where she had taken her son. In the process of making the turn, the officer ran in to her vehicle. It appeared from pictures that the officer’s cruiser’s front end had been damaged, but authorities did say that both cars hit trees after the initial impact.

Police say that they ruled out alcohol as a contributing factor in this accident; however, they were looking further in to whether someone was driving too fast at the time of the accident.

Thankfully, all three people who were hurt are expected to survive the accident.

Depending on the final outcome of the investigation, there may be legal options available to those who were injured. With respect to the mother and the child, for instance, they need to remember that while they may get compensation for any negligence on the officer’s part, there are special rules that apply when one is suing a state or local agency, including the Houston Police Department.

Still, the fact that a police officer is involved in a car accident does not give him or her a free pass for negligent driving. If it turns out that he was speeding or otherwise negligent, his victims may wish to speak with an experienced attorney about obtaining compensation.