An Essex County OPP officer charged with dangerous driving causing bodily harm has taken the stand at his trial.
Constable Jamie Porto testified in October 2014, he was rushing to the scene of what was believed to be a fiery crash near St. Joachim when he spotted a stopped vehicle on County Rd 42.
He believed the car had stopped to allow the cruiser with the lights and sirens activated to get around, but in fact, the driver of the civilian car was turning onto County Rd 31 and Porto crashed into the vehicle.
Porto said all other traffic had pulled over except one.
The trial heard there is no policy by the OPP that restricts an officer's speed heading to a bad crash.
The crown contends Porto was driving too fast to avoid hitting the car.
The court heard Porto was driving 178 km/hour seconds before the crash which surprised Porto but he says when driving at high speeds, the focus needs to be on the roads.
Porto suffered a broken hand while the driver of the other car suffered two broken ribs and a concussion.