Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s wife, Michelle Gainey, and a member of the mayor’s security detail were injured in a crash Tuesday evening.

A city vehicle carrying Michelle Gainey and driven by an unidentified Pittsburgh police bodyguard was struck at the intersection of Fifth and Hamilton avenues at the border of the city’s Larimer and Homewood neighborhoods just before 5:15 p.m., according to Cara Cruz, a police spokeswoman.

Gainey was evaluated by EMS at the scene and released with “minor injuries,” said Cydney Cooper, a spokeswoman for the mayor.

The bodyguard was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition, according to Cooper.

Several officials told TribLive they were unaware of whether the city had any policies governing when and if a mayor’s family should have access to city vehicles and police protection.

“I think it does beg the question: does the security detail also protect the mayor’s family?” Councilman Bob Charland, D-South Side, said. “Inherently, I think it’s a good thing. It just wasn’t something I was aware of. I trust they’re doing their due diligence to protect the mayor’s family. But was this proper? I certainly can’t say.”

Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, said he felt Michelle Gainey getting a ride in a city vehicle or being guarded by police is OK if she was “on official duty,” such as representing the mayor at a ribbon-cutting or public event.

Coghill said this incident should encourage City Council to draft a policy governing security details for elected leaders.

“She’s a civilian; she’s not a city worker,” Coghill said. “I don’t know where that line is, but I don’t think it’s the norm.”

Coghill said he wondered if the mayor’s wife had been using city vehicles and the mayor’s security detail throughout Gainey’s tenure.

“If she’s been driven around for three years on the taxpayers’ dime, that’s not OK,” Coghill said.

But Councilwoman Barb Warwick, D-Greenfield, said it makes sense to her that the wife of such a high-profile official would need protection.

“It seems to me that security around the mayor and his family would be a public safety issue, and obviously in this day and age of heightened threats all around, whatever security is deemed necessary is necessary,” Warwick told TribLive.

She pointed to “nasty comments, creepy comments” made on the mayor’s social media posts as an example of why officials may feel Gainey’s family needs a protective detail.

“If I were as high profile as the mayor, I would be concerned for the safety of my family as well,” Warwick said. “Any threat to the mayor is a threat to the family.”

Councilwoman Erika Strassburger, D-Squirrel Hill, said the mayor needs more security than council members because it is a position that garners more scrutiny and potentially more threats.

“It depends on the level of protection that our public officials deemed necessary,” she said when asked if she believed the mayor’s family should have a city security detail.

Cruz said another driver in a silver Toyota Tacoma struck the driver’s side of the vehicle carrying the mayor’s wife. The driver, who officials did not identify, was uninjured and remained at the scene.

Pittsburgh police are investigating.

Olga George, a spokeswoman for the mayor, would not answer numerous questions about the incident, including where the mayor’s wife was going at the time.

George refused to provide information about the type of city vehicle involved in the crash, the extent of damage and how long the bodyguard is expected to be off work.

She also would not say whether the bodyguard and Gainey wore seat belts, how often the mayor’s wife uses a bodyguard as a driver or where the mayor was at the time of the wreck.

“We appreciate your interest; however, we have no further comment at this time,” George wrote in an email to TribLive. “Thank you for your understanding.”

At the county level, two officers guard Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato “at any kind of official event,” county spokeswoman Abigail Gardner said. They also, when needed, have guarded her home.

Security coverage does not extend to Innamorato’s family members, Gardner said.

“Allegheny County Police does not provide any additional details for county employees or family members,” said Jim Madalinsky, a county police spokesman.

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