MSP sergeant recovering after he was struck by vehicle along I-94
(CBS DETROIT) - A Michigan State Police sergeant is recovering after being struck by a vehicle while investigating a crash along I-94 in Detroit early Thursday morning.
"As he was getting out of his patrol car and again this is how fast this thing happens, a suspected drunk driver was traveling at a high rate of speed and struck his patrol car, the patrol car swung over and struck the sergeant," said Lt. Mike Shaw with the Michigan State Police.
The sergeant arrived on the scene to direct traffic following a two-vehicle collision on the eastbound lanes of the freeway around 2:40 a.m. near the Livernois Avenue exit. As he was getting out of his car, another driver slammed into the back of his cruiser at a high rate of speed. The sergeant was then struck by the vehicle.
Shaw said the sergeant's vehicle acted as a shield and prevented several people including police from being ran over.
"The video that we released on our social media channel, you can actually see the body camera fly off his chest and these things are pretty good on here," Lt. Shaw said.
The sergeant was taken to an area hospital as a precaution. No other injuries were sustained. The driver of the vehicle that struck the cruiser was arrested for suspected impaired driving.
"We were very lucky that this sergeant wasn't more seriously hurt," said MSP Lt. Mike Shaw in a press release. "Poor driving decisions are continuing to put everyone in danger on our roads. Please move over for emergency vehicles and don't drive impaired."
The freeway was shut down for several hours but has since reopened.