LEMONT, Ill. (WTVO) — For the 15th time this year, an Illinois State Trooper has been involved in a crash while they were pulled over on the side of the road.
Friday afternoon, at 2 p.m., the trooper was on a traffic stop on Interstate 355 with his emergency lights on when a Toyota Tacoma failed to yield and hit the rear driver’s side of the car.
The driver of the car, Evan Johnson, 24, of Tinley Park, and the trooper, were hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries, police said.
“ISP Troopers work hard to protect the motoring public on Illinois roadways. We need the public to avoid putting their lives and the lives of others at risk by making responsible choices when behind the wheel. Always pay attention and move over when you approach a stationary vehicle on the side of the road,” stated District 15 Commander, Captain Jason Bradley.
Four troopers have been injured this year in similar crashes, each a violation of the Move Over Law (Scott’s Law), which requires drivers to move into a far lane and slow down around stopped emergency vehicles.