Condition upgraded of officer who fell from I-83

Hospital deems her condition 'serious'

The Baltimore police officer who fell off an elevated section of the Jones Falls Expressway in an accident Tuesday has been upgraded to serious condition, said a hospital representative Thursday evening.

Officer Teresa Rigby had been listed in critical condition Wednesday after undergoing two surgeries, one to repair a fractured leg and pelvis. Rigby also underwent facial reconstruction surgery at Maryland Shock Trauma Center, according to a Police Department spokesman.

The 27-year-old who patrolled North Baltimore was standing near a disabled vehicle waiting for it to be towed when a Saab crashed into the back of her cruiser. The police car surged forward and struck Rigby, sending her over a retaining wall and plummeting 30 feet to a parking lot below.

The crash was in the northbound lanes of Interstate 83, near the Pepsi plant south of Cold Spring Lane.