Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Martin Yawarsky was killed in an automobile crash while responding to a disturbance call at 26th and Hamilton Avenues intersection in Columbus. Officer Yawarky and another officer had arrested an intoxicated man who had brandished a gun. The subject was in the back of their police wagon when they received a disturbance call. Heading southbound on Hamilton Avenue with their lights on, they were struck by another police cruiser with its lights on. The cruiser was driving west on the one-way street on its way to the same disturbance call. The wagon flipped over on top of a car that was stopped at the light and crashed into a yard before bursting into flames. Both officers driving were hospitalized. The passengers in the stopped car were slightly injured. The prisoner and Officer Yawarky were dead at the scene. Officer Yawarsky had served with the Columbus Division of Police for two years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OH-48C2881C- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Officer Yawarsky gave the Columbus Division of Police 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Columbus community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Yawarsky.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Martin W. Yawarsky is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In OH, 318 of 991 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32.1% of this state's fallen. That is 1.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Columbus Division of Police, 19 of 59 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Martin W. Yawarsky's cause is highlighted.
How Martin W. Yawarsky Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Martin W. Yawarsky is highlighted in Sep.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
58 officers from Columbus Division of Police are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
