An Oak Bluffs man is facing criminal charges after a collision between a Tisbury police cruiser and a small dump truck occurred on the Lagoon Pond drawbridge Thursday afternoon, state police confirmed.

Reniclis Albino, 28, has been charged with marked lanes violation, operating a vehicle without a license and failure to inspect a vehicle. Mr. Albino was issued a court summons, state police said.

The Tisbury officer involved in the collision, Patrick Souza, was transported to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and treated for minor injuries, according to Tisbury police chief Mark Saloio. The other driver was not injured, according to police.

Chief Saloio provided the name of the officer and other individual Friday morning after speaking with the officer's family and confirming that Officer Souza had been discharged from the hospital in good condition. Mr. Saloio said the police department's first priority was ensuring the health and safety of the individuals involved.  

“He’ll be fine," Chief Saloio told the Gazette Friday morning, speaking of Officer Souza. “Nobody was hurt seriously, which is good."

The crash occurred at 4:05 p.m., according to state police trooper James DeAngelis, with fluffy snow blanketing Vineyard roads and creating slick conditions for drivers.

According to Chief Saloio and Trooper DeAngelis, the police cruiser was hit on the driver’s side by a small, 2002 Izuzu dump truck as it was crossing the bridge from Oak Bluffs into Tisbury. The cruiser, a 2020 Ford Explorer, was traveling in the opposite direction, according to police.

State police from the Oak Bluffs barracks responded to the scene, issuing the citations to the driver of the Izuzu, Trooper DeAngelis said. The driver was not arrested on the scene, but was rather issued a court summons.

“He could have been arrested. The charge of unlicensed operation is an arrestable offense,” Trooper DeAngelis said.

He said the cruiser and truck were towed away from the drawbridge.

“Both vehicles sustained significant damage,” Chief Saloio wrote in the email.

In the phone call Friday morning, Chief Saloio said preliminary analysis pointed to the snowy road conditions as a factor in the collision.

“It’s my understanding that the accident had to do with inclement weather,”Chief Saloio said. “[Mr. Albino's] vehicle slid out of the travel lane, and impacted the police cruiser in the opposing lane.”

“There's an old saying, bridges freeze before roadways. Bridges tend to slicken up before roadways do in colder weather,” Chief Saloio added. 

State police are investigating the crash.

“[There is] no information as to the manner of the crash, or how it occurred,” Trooper DeAngelis said Thursday night. He said a report would available by Monday or Tuesday.

The article has been updated to include the names of the individuals involved and comment from Chief Saloio.