Cop struck by car in Lawrence improving

A Nassau County police officer, who was struck earlier this month by a car in Lawrence, now is in stable condition in Nassau University Medical Center, officials said Tuesday.

For weeks, the officer's condition had been critical but Tuesday was upgraded, said Shelley Lotenberg, spokeswoman for the Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow.

The officer, assigned to crack down on speeders, was struck by a motorist Oct. 2 as he stood outside his patrol car on the northbound side of Route 878, the Nassau Expressway, just north of the Atlantic Beach Bridge. The driver was not charged.

The officer, 57, was airlifted to the hospital with a fractured skull, pelvis and leg and internal bleeding. Police declined to name the officer, but said he is a 29-year veteran with several awards, including two for saving lives.