Driver charged with violating Scott's Law after crashing into Illinois State Police squad car on I-55
WILL COUNTY, Ill. (CBS) – A Bolingbrook man was charged after crashing his car into the rear of an Illinois State Police squad car Thursday morning.
Joseph A. Gemini, 63, was charged with a violation of Scott's Law, or Move Over Law. That's when the driver fails to yield to a stationary emergency vehicle.
Around 4:32 a.m., officials investigated a two-car crash involving an ISP squad car that was hit by a motorist on the ramp of I-55 southbound to I-80 eastbound in Will County.
The trooper was in a fully marked squad car with its emergency lights activated and was stationary on the ramp after responding to a report of a tire in the roadway, ISP said.
A silver Lincoln, driven by Gemini, approached the area, failed to move over, and struck the squad car's rear.
No injuries were reported. It's the fourth Scott's Law-related crash so far this year.
ISP is reminding drivers to slow down and move over when approaching an emergency vehicle or any vehicle with their emergency or hazard lights activated.
A person who violates Scott's Law can face fines of no less than $250 or more than $10,000 for their first offense. If the violation results in injury to another person, their driver's license will be suspended for a mandatory period of anywhere between six months and two years.
Five different drivers crashed into Illinois State Police squad cars over the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend, state police said earlier this week.
Four of the five incidents were in the greater Chicago area, and three involved violations of Scott's Law.