TREE LIMB HITS DEPUTY'S CAR

A Cape Girardeau County sheriff's deputy escaped serious injury Monday when a tree limb fell on his police cruiser as he drove in the 900 block of Broadway.

Deputy Mike Englemann suffered face and hand lacerations after the limb broke from a tree near the First Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau.

The limb shattered the windshield and driver's side window. The large limb dented the hood, roof and back of the car.

Englemann was treated at Southeast Missouri Hospital and released.

The deputy first feared he might have had bits of glass in his eyes. He was told by paramedics to keep his eyes closed and restrict the movement of his eyeballs.

A sheriff's department spokesman said Englemann's eyes were OK.

The incident occurred at 2:18 p.m. as Englemann was driving east on Broadway. After the limb hit the car, Englemann was able to stop without further damage to his or other vehicles.

The deputy was transporting Kathryn Williams of Cape Girardeau, a county prisoner, to the city jail. She was uninjured.