Illinois State Police Sergeant Injured When Suspected Drunken Driver Hits Squad Car On I-57
COUNTRY CLUB HILLS, Ill. (CBS) -- An Illinois State Police sergeant was injured early Saturday when a cruiser was hit by a suspected drunken driver on Interstate 57 in the south suburbs.
At 12:05 a.m., the state police sergeant was sitting stationary in the squad car on northbound I-57 just north of I-80 with emergency lights activated. The trooper was assisting a motorist on the right shoulder.
A blue Chevrolet headed north on the expressway failed to yield to the trooper and veered off the roadway onto the right shoulder, where the front end of the Chevy struck the driver's side of the squad car.
The sergeant suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was treated and released from an area hospital.
The driver who hit the squad car – Moises Hernandez, 44, of Blue Island – was charged with a violation of Scott's Law, which requires drivers slow down and move over one lane for an emergency vehicle stopped at the side of the road with emergency lights flashing.
Hernandez was also charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, and was ticketed for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and improper lane usage.
Anyone who violates Scott's Law faces a fine of at least $250 and up to $10,000 for a first offense. If the violation results in someone being injured, the violator's driver's license will be suspended to six months to two years.
So far, 18 Illinois State Police squad cars have been hit in Scott's Law violations, and 11 troopers have been injured.