Early Wednesday morning, a Buffalo police officer and his K9 partner were involved in an accident that resulted in minor injuries to both.
Capt. Jeff Rinaldo said the accident occurred around 8 a.m. at the intersection of South Elmwood Avenue and Chippewa Street.
“When they went through the intersection they collided with a civilian vehicle,” said Rinaldo. “Both the officer and the K9 went to get checked out. The K9 was cleared and is okay, and the officer is currently being checked out, but is expected to be okay.”
Lehner, the K9 officer, is named for the late Lt. Craig Lehner, who was killed in a 2017 police diving exercise in the Niagara River.
An investigation into the crash is underway by the department’s internal affairs and accident investigation units.