Boxborough police say drunken driver struck cruiser, injuring officer

By Jeff Fish, Globe Correspondent

A Boxborough police officer was injured when his cruiser was struck by an alleged drunken driver Friday night on Interstate 495 north, said the Boxborough Police Department. Officer Edward Pokornicki was in his cruiser and pulling over a vehicle at about 11:45 p.m. near Exit 28 when a 2010 Toyota Corolla driven by 52-year-old Mary Hayes of Concord struck the rear of the cruiser, said Sergeant Warren O’Brien. To avoid hitting the car he had pulled over, Pokornicki steered his cruiser away, leaving the roadway and settling against a large berm and some small trees on the median, said O’Brien. Pokornicki was treated and released at Emerson Hospital in Concord. Hayes was uninjured and was charged with operating under the influence of liquor and negligent operation of a motor vehicle, O’Brien said. State Police are investigating the accident, he said