ILLINOIS, USA — An Illinois State Police trooper's squad car was hit by a driver Friday night on Interstate 64 in St. Clair County.
According to ISP, the incident happened shortly before midnight near the 1.5-milepost on eastbound I-64. The trooper was blocking traffic with their emergency lights activated due to a prior incident in the area.
The trooper was inside the squad car when it was struck on the driver's side rear by 55-year-old Billie Snively, of Belleville, in their Buick Lacrosse, police said.
The trooper was transported to an area hospital and has since been released, police said. Snively was uninjured.
They were charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, improper lane usage, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and failure to yield to a stationary emergency vehicle, which is a violation of Illinois' Move Over Law.
The Move Over Law reminds all drivers to move over when they approach an emergency car, or any car with hazard lights activated.
ISP had 23 Move Over Law-related crashes in 2022 where eight troopers sustained injuries. In 2023, they had 21 Move Over Law-related crashes. To date in 2024, there have been 10 crashes.
Violators of the Move Over Law will face fines of no less than $250 or more than $10,000 for a first offense. For those whose violations result in injury, the violator will be suspended for a mandatory period of six months to two years, according to police.
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