A 30-year veteran of the Oak Forest Police Department died Monday after being involved in a car crash.
James Morrissy, 62, died just after 8 p.m. at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. He was taken there about six hours earlier after his squad car collided with another vehicle. Morrissy was en route to assist another officer responding to a domestic call when he was struck while trying to make a left turn from 160th Street on to Cicero Avenue.
Morrissy initially was reported in serious to critical condition but with non-life threatening injuries. A cause of death wasn’t immediately available.
Fellow officers formed a procession late Monday to escort the ambulance carrying Morrissy's body from the hospital to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office. At police headquarters, flags were lowered to half staff.
Oak Forest Police Chief Greg Anderson described the day as the worst of his career. He said Morrissy was a hard worker who always kept his fellow officers on their toes.
The husband and father of three served the department for 30 years, most recently as the Chief Field Training Officer, making him responsible for getting all of the department's new recruits ready for service.
"He was basically the first contact the new recruits had," Anderson said.
Traffic in both directions was blocked for more than three hours after the crash, which remained under investigation early Tuesday.
No charges were pending against the driver of the other vehicle.
