Injured Officer Released From Hospital

Saturday, January 12, 2013

A Pea Ridge police officer was released from the hospital Friday where he was treated after being hit by a car.

Pea Ridge Police Chief Tim Ledbetter said Joey Ferris was released Friday afternoon from Northwest Medical Center-Bentonville. He said Ferris didn’t suffer any fractures, and most of his injuries were cuts and scrapes.

Ferris was struck by a car while at the scene of an accident on Slack Street in Pea Ridge. Heather Patton, 18, of Pea Ridge was westbound on Slack Street when her vehicle struck Ferris, according to Arkansas State Police Cpl. Desmond Benton, who investigated the accident.

Ledbetter said Ferris was standing on the road’s fog line when he was struck. He was assisting people who were trying to move a car involved in a previous accident. That vehicle had gone off the road and hit a tree. The road was not blocked.

Ferris had a flashlight but wasn’t wearing a safety vest, and his vehicle’s emergency lights weren’t on, Ledbetter said.

Ledbetter said he’s looking into the circumstances surrounding the accident.

Ferris has been a member of the Pea Ridge department since 2010, Ledbetter said.