A Tennessee state trooper and Coffee County sheriff’s deputy are lucky to be alive following a weekend crash in which a tractor-trailer slammed into their vehicles as they were stopped on a highway in Manchester.
WSMV in Nashville reported that the crash took place around 5:30 a.m. Saturday on Interstate 24 East. The trooper and deputy were responding to another crash when the driver of the tractor-trailer allegedly slammed into the trooper's Ford Explorer.
The trooper, who was inside the SUV at the time of the collision, was injured, as was the deputy, who stood outside his own patrol car, the news station reported. Both were treated at a hospital for cuts and bruises, as was the co-driver of the tractor-trailer, but all were expected to fully recover.
Both patrol cars were totaled.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol on Saturday shared photos of the unrecognizable Ford Explorer the trooper was using at the time of the collision. The Manchester Police Department also shared photos, including one of the deputy's patrol car.
“This is exactly why we stress move over!” a Highway Patrol official wrote on the agency’s social media accounts. “Earlier today, one of our troopers was struck by a driver who violated the move over law! Thankfully, he will be okay.”
The tweets and Facebook posts were shared thousands of times, including by law enforcement agencies in other states.
According to Move Over America, 43 states have laws that require motorists to "move over," or switch lanes to give a lane of clearance for law enforcement officers who are working on the roadside. Tennessee's statute, which was implemented in 2003, carries up to 30 days in jail and up to $500 in fines for motorists who violate the law.
It was not clear if the driver of the tractor-trailer would face charges in Saturday’s accident.
The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund reported that a total of 126 law enforcement officers were fatally struck by vehicles in the U.S. between 2008 and 2017. The Officer Down Memorial Page reported one fatality so far in 2018.
Lt. Christopher Robateau, 49, of the Jersey City Police Department, was killed Jan. 5 when he stopped to help a motorist on his way to work, ABC News reported. Robateau, a veteran officer of more than 20 years, stepped out of his patrol vehicle on the shoulder of the New Jersey Turnpike and was struck by an oncoming vehicle, officials said.
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