A New York State trooper was injured early Saturday morning after a passing vehicle slid into a parked patrol car on the Thruway while officers were helping a disabled driver.
State Police say the incident happened shortly before 2 a.m. Saturday on the westbound shoulder in Lancaster, Erie County. Two troopers were outside their marked patrol vehicle assisting a motorist when a Kia sedan lost control, spun out, and hit the rear of the patrol car, which had its emergency lights on. The impact pushed the patrol car into one of the troopers, knocking her into the snow off the shoulder of the road.
She was taken to Erie County Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries and later released.
The driver of the Kia, 22-year-old Emily Lopez-Rangel of Batavia, and her passenger were checked by first responders at the scene but declined medical treatment. Troopers said there were no signs of drugs or alcohol, and the crash was blamed on unsafe driving due to the winter road conditions. Lopez-Rangel was issued several traffic citations.
State Police say this is the second time in the past two weeks that a trooper has been struck on the Thruway. They’re reminding drivers to follow New York’s Move Over Law, which requires motorists to slow down and change lanes when possible for emergency or disabled vehicles stopped along the road.
More than 2,500 tickets were issued for Move Over Law violations on the Thruway last year. Drivers are also urged to use extra caution during winter weather and poor visibility.
