Illinois State Police Trooper Injured When Car Fails To Move Over, Slams Into Stopped Squad Car

CHICAGO (CBS) -- An Illinois State Police trooper was injured Sunday afternoon, when a driver crashed into a squad car as the trooper was assisting a truck driver whose rig had broken down on the Eisenhower Expressway.

Police said the trooper had responded to a stranded semi-tractor trailer around 4:10 p.m., positioning his squad car to block the two left lanes of traffic. After placing road flares on the pavement and getting back into the squad car, the trooper called for an Illinois Department of Transportation "Minuteman Truck" to help move the stalled semi.

At 4:40 p.m., as the trooper was still inside the squad car, a gray Nissan struck the rear of the cruiser, causing it to spin and come to a stop in the middle lane of traffic.

The trooper suffered minor injuries, and was taken to the hospital, but later released.

The driver of the Nissan, 50-year-old Willie Burr, of Broadview, was not injured. He was cited for driving too fast for conditions, and for violating Scott's Law, which requires drivers to slow down and change lanes for any vehicle with its hazard lights activated.

In:
• Eisenhower Expressway
• Illinois State Police