U. Police officer injuried in massive car collision

University Police officer Mary Terry-Christian was rushed to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania at 3 a.m. yesterday after she swerved her police car into five parked cars in the 300 block of South 42nd Street. She was later released from HUP without serious injuries, however, according to Sergeant Keith Christian, Terry-Christian's ex-husband. Terry-Christian -- who was on her way to "back up" another officer investigating a burglary -- collided with the parked cars in order to avoid hitting a pedestrian who was illegally crossing the street, Christian said. Although he would not disclose the identity of the pedestrian, Christian confirmed that the pedestrian was unharmed. He added that Terry-Christian only suffered minor back injuries from the collision. Terry-Christian was unavailable for comment on the accident last night. But officials at HUP said Terry-Christian was released from care sometime last night. And while Terry-Christian was able to avoid harming herself and the pedestrian, one witness to the accident, Veterinary School student Starfinder Stanely said the cars she hit were "totaled." Stanely said he saw part of the accident from the window of Veterinary School student Sara Lavely's apartment, located on 42nd Street, right above the accident cite. He added that the collision caused the driver's side mirror on one of the cars to be "sheered off." Lavely said she noticed that the parked cars were "literally smashed" when she left her apartment yesterday morning. "Each had their own special dent," she said. Another car is "still connected to the telephone pole," said Lavely, who said she was roused from sleep by "a screech and then a very loud boom," which resulted from the impact of the police car hitting the parked cars. Stanley said he saw seven police cars and an ambulance surround the accident scene shortly after the sound of the crash was heard. He added that he was "quite surprised" to see a police officer drive away in Terry-Christian's battered car after she was placed in the ambulance. "[Terry-Christian's car] didn't look salvageable," he said.