Tampa police officer recovering after being hit by car while directing traffic near Raymond James Stadium: TPD

TAMPA, Fla. - A sergeant with the Tampa Police Department is recovering after reportedly being hit by a vehicle while directing traffic following a concert near Raymond James Stadium early Sunday morning.

The backstory:

According to TPD, the crash happened shortly after midnight along West Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, just past North Himes Avenue.

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Police say the sergeant was working traffic after the concert and was wearing a reflective traffic vest while directing vehicles. 

During that time, a Chrysler sports car traveling eastbound on West MLK Boulevard veered from the center lane into the outside lane and hit the officer, according to police.

The officer was taken to a nearby hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. As of Sunday morning, police say the sergeant is stable and in good spirits.

Dig deeper:

TPD says the 44-year-old driver remained at the scene and cooperated with the investigation. He was cited for careless driving causing serious bodily injury.

Investigators say speed and impairment are not believed to be factors in the crash.

What they're saying:

"I’m incredibly grateful and relieved to know that one of our officers is OK after an incident that could’ve been deadly," Chief Lee Bercaw said. "It serves as a stark reminder that even in some of the most routine tasks, our officers risk their lives to keep our community, and in this case concertgoers, safe."