State Police Cruisers Hit Three Times In One Day Again On Illinois Expressways
CHICAGO (CBS) -- For the second day in a row, three drivers hit Illinois State Police cruisers on expressways Thursday – one in the Chicago area and two downstate.
The first incident happened at 2 a.m. A state police District 10 trooper was heading to a crash on the right shoulder of Interstate 74 eastbound near Urbana. The squad car was stationary with its emergency lights activated, when a semi-trailer truck driven by Leonard Smith, 30, of Trenton, New Jersey, sideswiped the squad car, state police said.
No one was injured in the accident. Smith was cited for driving too fast for conditions.
At 5:19 a.m., a state police trooper was in the right lane of Interstate 80 westbound near New Lenox, conducting traffic control for a tow truck. This marked cruiser was also stationary with its lights all activated. A red Mazda headed west failed to yield to the stationary squad car, slid on the roadway, and rear-ended it.
No one was injured in the crash. The driver of the Mazda was cited for driving too fast for conditions, improper lane usage, and violating Scott's Law.
At 10 a.m. Thursday, a trooper was headed west on Interstate 74 near Muncie, Illinois – a community of around 150 people between Champaign and Danville – when a blue Volkswagen Passat also headed west rear-ended the trooper's cruiser. No one was injured.
State police cruisers were also hit three times downstate during the inclement weather on Wednesday.
Scott's Law, also called the Move Over Law, mandates that when approaching police or other emergency vehicle stopped along the roadway, you must proceed with caution and change lanes when possible.
