WENDELL - A wreck involving Wendell police officer Jermaine Thomas left him with a broken ankle and Wendell police down a man for several months. Highway Patrol investigators do not plan to cite Thomas in connection with the wreck.

"(Thomas) has a severe break in his ankle. ... He could be out three to four months or longer," said Wendell police Chief Vance Johnson.

While driving to work Oct. 5, Thomas lost control of his patrol car and ran off the side of the road on Barwell Road in Raleigh about 5:50 a.m.

Thomas was ejected from his car during the accident, and was taken to WakeMed hospital in Raleigh.

Thomas' car sustained about $10,000 in damage and is probably totaled, Johnson said.

Two other cars were also damaged: One car was struck by the patrol car, sustaining damages of about $2,000. Another vehicle sustained $500 in damages after Thomas landed on it after he was ejected from his patrol car.

The Wendell police department is still investigating the accident, Johnson said.

"There was a bag of trash in the road," Johnson said. "How much that contributed to the wreck, I don't know. But at that time of morning, if you see something in the middle of the road, it's probably hard to tell what's coming at you."

Thomas, 30, has worked with the Wendell Police Department since October 2004 and serves on the traffic safety unit with one other officer.

He did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.