Indiana State Trooper Narrowly Escapes Injury When Vehicle Hits His Cruiser During Interstate Traffic Stop
During a traffic stop on Interstate 80, an Indiana State Police sergeant had to jump over a concrete barrier when his patrol car was hit by a 2020 Ford Fusion. Luckily, the trooper was able to narrowly avoid injury thanks to his quick reaction.
According to an Indiana State Police press release, Sgt. Glen Fifield was conducting a traffic stop on I-80 about two miles east of the Illinois-Indiana border in Hammond at approximately 9:55 p.m. on Sunday, February 22. He had pulled over a Kia for a traffic infraction. The trooper had his emergency lights on and was on the right shoulder/emergency lane of eastbound I-80.
The trooper’s quick thinking may have saved his life
As he got out of his marked patrol cruiser, he noticed a car approaching in the emergency lane. The car proceeded on the shoulder, failing to merge into the travel lanes of the highway.
Sgt. Fifield recognized the oncoming danger coming and leaped over the concrete barrier wall next to his vehicle just before the Ford Fusion hit the back of his patrol car. The Ford rammed the police car into the Kia. Shortly thereafter, more troopers arrived on the scene to assist.
The Ford Fusion driver may have been dealing with a medical issue at the time of the collision, according to preliminary investigations.
Sgt. Fifield did not sustain any injuries. Medical personnel took the Ford driver for medical attention. Tow trucks hauled both cars from the site, as they had sustained significant damage. The crash is currently under investigation.
“This incident underscores the dangers our troopers face every day while performing routine traffic stops on our highways. We continue to remind motorists to remain alert, slow down, and move over when approaching emergency vehicles stopped along the roadway,” Lt. Terrance Weems, commander of the State Police Lowell Post, stated in the release. “The number of preventable crashes that have resulted in our troopers being struck on the roadway is unacceptable.”
Another vehicle struck an Indiana State trooper’s vehicle that same day
Someone hit a second law enforcement officer’s vehicle while the officer was on patrol Monday morning on U.S. 31 at around 7:30 a.m., Indiana State Police also reported. In that accident, a Marshall County Sheriff’s Deputy’s patrol SUV was hit by a van while he was stopped for a separate crash investigation.
WANE News reported that the van driver lost control while traveling north and sideswiped the left side of the officer’s SUV. The deputy had parked close to the inside shoulder and had activated his emergency lights.
The deputy, who was inside the SUV during the crash, went to a nearby hospital for evaluation before being discharged. Assisting Marshall County officers apprehended the van’s driver, who lacked a valid driver’s license.
