A police officer is accused of seriously injuring a colleague when the van she was driving collided with another vehicle and hit a tree.
Rebecca Latham, 26, was at the wheel of a Ford Transit van when it was involved in a crash with a Toyota Landcruiser on the Formby Bypass.
Emergency services were called to the scene, where firefighters had to cut another police officer, Kamel Toumi, out of the force vehicle.
He was taken to hospital after the crash, at the roundabout with Liverpool Road, at around 7.10pm on Wednesday, December 4 last year.
Merseyside Police later confirmed that Mr Toumi suffered a leg injury and was treated in hospital. Latham was not seriously injured.
A force spokesman said the van was on route to an incident in Southport at the time and hit a tree after the collision with the Toyota.
The male driver of the Toyota was also checked at the scene but had no serious injuries.
Latham, of Ilford Avenue, Crosby, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
The officer, with long blonde hair and wearing a black suit in the dock, spoke only to confirm her details and plead not guilty to the charge.
Andrew Ford, prosecuting, said a trial would be estimated to last four days.
Richard Orme, defending, said Latham's solicitors were still awaiting expert reports.
Judge Andrew Menary, QC, fixed a trial for May 10 next year and renewed Latham's unconditional bail.
Photographs from the scene showed that the police van sustained a crumpled windscreen and extensive damage to its front end.
A section of the busy road was closed after the accident, which caused delays in the area.
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