Boston Mayor Wu wasn't headed to emergency at time of crash

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Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said she was not responding to an emergency on Tuesday when the police department cruiser in which she was riding attempted to pass through a busy intersection with lights and sirens activated and was struck by an oncoming vehicle.

"It was not an emergency yesterday where we were headed. It's an incident that is under review," the mayor said.

Wu said she was reviewing documents on her phone at the time of the crash, which happened while she was en route to a meeting at Copley, and was not seriously hurt.

"Should you be able to use lights and sirens to get through traffic?" NewsCenter 5's Sharman Sacchetti asked.

"I'm happy to make sure that we are having that conversation. The first step is an internal review of every single incident that happens with a department vehicle," Wu answered.

A police report about the incident states it happened at 9:50 a.m. in the middle of the intersection of Hyde Park Avenue and Blakemore Street.

Video below: Crash involving Mayor Wu

Video from the crash shows the traffic lights at the intersection were green for vehicles traveling on Hyde Park Avenue. Vehicles in the right travel lane on the southbound side of Hyde Park Avenue are seen coming to a quick stop as the unmarked police vehicle makes its way from Blakemore Street into the intersection with its emergency lights activated.

"Officer (Keyanna) Smith was stopped at the red light, then slowly approached the intersection to ensure that the oncoming traffic traveling outbound on Hyde Park Avenue were able to see and hear the cruiser entering the intersection," Smith wrote in a report about the collision.

A vehicle traveling in the left travel lane on the southbound side of Hyde Park Avenue, however, continued to travel into the intersection as the unmarked police vehicle attempted to make a left turn onto the northbound side of Hyde Park Avenue. The civilian vehicle then struck the front driver's side fender of the police vehicle.

"Officer Smith was unable to avoid the collision due to vehicle #1's fast approach and did not stop or slow down for the cruiser's lights and siren," the report states.

Photos showed Wu standing by a Boston Emergency Medical Services ambulance at one point after the crash. Wu said that her back was feeling a bit stiff on Wednesday as a result of the crash that happened the day before.

According to the police report, Wu, the driver of the civilian vehicle and that woman's child all declined medical treatment. Smith reported pain on the left side of her body and was taken to a hospital for evaluation. She was discharged later that day, her report states.

The Boston Police Department will be investigating the crash, as they do with all crashes involving departmental motor vehicles, according to the city spokesperson.

The department said there are procedures in place for turning on lights and sirens, but not a specific policy regarding when an officer would be allowed to use lights and sirens while transporting dignitaries, such as the mayor.