This past week has been a bad one for the officers that patrol our roads. In eight separate cases, they were hit as they were out on the road doing their job. 31 troopers have been hit since November.
- Sunday night, a trooper was injured struck by a BMW while investigating a crash at Interstate 394 and Penn Avenue.
- Monday afternoon, State Patrol Sgt. Dan Lewis was helping a stranded motorist on the shoulder of Hwy. 52 just south of Cannon Falls, Minn when he was hit.
- Also on Monday afternoon, I 94 at Highway 23 was shut down after a trooper and his squad car were hit by a semi-trailer in St. Cloud. The trooper was inside the squad on the left-hand side of the road behind a tow truck helping a stranded motorist.
- Monday night, a state trooper’s squad car was struck in Eden Prairie as he was stopped on the shoulder of westbound 494 at Hwy 212 helping a cars involved in a multiple vehicle spin out.
- Tuesday afternoon, a state trooper’s squad was hit by a semi-truck with double trailers while providing traffic control on Highway 14 for a car being pulled from a ditch in Nicollet County.
- Tuesday night, a trooper was hit at Interstate 694 and Silver Lake Road while making a drunk driving stop.
These are officers who are on the roads doing their jobs. Protecting society and doing their work in full uniform with lights going. I have had the honor on a number of occasions to represent some of Minnesota’s finest. Usually, they are hit by cars going too fast and not giving them the room they need.
Minnesota law requires all cars to move over one lane when emergency vehicles are on the road. It’s pretty simple to keep those actions in mind. While the law doesn’t directly require a reduction in speed , it’s the safe thing to do and it is taking into consideration the conditions at the time.
If it’s wintry weather and the emergency vehicles are dealing with a car in the ditch, consider for a minute how the car got there. It’s probably a case of the road itself being especially slippery in the very same area. A couple of times a year, we will be involved in layered car accidents where one car hits another and within the next ten minutes, two or three more impacts take place. A good look out and slowing down will make a difference. Also if you are in an accident, make sure you clear yourself and all passengers away from the dangers of oncoming cars.
