Greenwood police officer hit outside Center Grove school

A Greenwood police officer was hit by a vehicle and thrown into another vehicle as he was directing traffic outside Center Grove High School this morning.

The officer, Scott Cottongim, was in good, stable condition at Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital as of 10 a.m. Thursday, Center Grove schools said in a news release.

He was directing traffic outside Center Grove High School when a vehicle going east on Stones Crossing Road hit him from behind, the school said. The impact threw Cottongim into one of the vehicles turning into the high school parking lot.

An investigation, including a crash reconstruction at the scene, is underway by the Center Grove Police Department and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.

The flashing lights on Cottongim’s police vehicle were on and Cottongim was wearing a traffic vest and using a flashlight to direct cars into the high school parking lot, the school said.

<em>This story will be updated.</em>