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Officer hurt in Saugus work zone crash by suspected drunk driver

SAUGUS, Mass. — An accident in a work zone sent a police officer to the hospital late Wednesday night.

It happened just before midnight on Route 1 northbound in Saugus, just over the Revere line -- a Jeep rear-ended a police officer's SUV and then rolled over.

The officer, Revere Police Capt. Terence Reardon, was taken to the hospital and is expected to be okay. His vehicle sustained heavy damage and was totaled.

The driver, later identified as 43-year-old Denny Miller of Newburyport, is facing his second drunk driving charge.

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In court, police said Miller refused to take a breathalyzer and failed field sobriety checks. He reportedly told officers he had four beers at the Red Sox game and then fell asleep behind the wheel.

According to Mass. State Police, Miller ignored all warning signs, arrow boards, and police lights to move over to an open lane before the crash.

"Impaired drivers are a menace on our roads regardless of whether there is a work zone in place or not," MassDOT said in a statement. " We ask the public to not drink and drive."

Full statement from MassDOT:

State Police are investigating the details of today's crash on Route 1 during which a police vehicle serving as a detail for a work zone crew was struck by an alleged drunk driver.

According to State Police, the driver ignored all warning signs, arrow boards, and police lights to move over to an open lane and instead struck a Revere Police Department vehicle with an officer inside.

This is the fourth incident since Monday, June 27, in which an alleged drunk driver struck a vehicle in a work zone or a member of the crew who was working in a work zone.

Impaired drivers are a menace on our roads regardless of whether there is a work zone in place or not.  We ask the public to not drink and drive.

Meanwhile, we will be having discussions with the Executive Office of Public Safety, Massachusetts State Police, the Federal Highway Administration, and Construction Industries of Massachusetts in order to discuss recent incidents.  After the first incident on June 27 of an alleged drunk driver striking a member of a work zone crew in Boston on I-93, we felt it was appropriate to convene a meeting to discuss work zone issues.