LINCOLN PARK, Mich. – They say there is never a cop when you need one.
Well, a couple people in Lincoln Park would disagree: A pizza delivery driver and the guy waiting for the pie.
It was a late-afternoon traffic accident which left a Jet's Pizza delivery driver a little banged up.
"He had some scratches and some scrapes. He took a pretty good impact out there," said Officer Joe Sparks, of the Lincoln Park Police Department.
Sparks, a 16-year veteran of the force, handled the crash and sent the driver to the hospital. He then realized he had another situation: a pizza in need of delivery still sitting in the back seat of the car.
"I grabbed the pizza. I checked the address. I see it's only a few blocks away, figured I'd just go ahead and deliver it. I knew the person was waiting for their food," said Sparks.
He was right. Carl Babik had called the pizza place to find out what happened to his double pepperoni and cheese. He never expected an armed delivery.
"I'm like, 'Wait a minute .. this is weird ... why is a cop delivering my food?" said Babik.
Sparks said Babik definitely looked surprised.
"Here comes a police car with his pizza," said Sparks.
Babik wondered if he had done something wrong.
"And I'm like, 'Dude, what the heck, what did I do?'" he said.
Babik said he normally tips the regular delivery driver $5. So, did he tip the delivery officer?
"Who would tip a cop? I mean, come on," he said, laughing.
Maybe somebody who wants a warning the next time he is pulled over instead of a ticket.
Jet's Pizza is hooking up the police with a free lunch for going above and beyond, not just for one of its drivers but for one of its customers.
The delivery driver who was in the crash suffered a concussion. It's not clear when he could be back at work.