Five drivers crash into Illinois State Police squad cars over holiday weekend
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Five different drivers crashed into Illinois State Police squad cars over the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend, state police said Monday.
Four of the five incidents were in the greater Chicago area, and three involved violations of the Move Over Law, also known as Scott's Law, requiring drivers to move over when emergency vehicles are stopped.
At 8:16 p.m. Friday, Jan. 12, a state trooper was handling a crash on Interstate 90 near Hampshire, Illinois. The trooper's squad car was stationary on the left shoulder with its emergency lights activated, and the trooper was outside the squad car, state police said.
A Honda CRV rear-ended the squad car, state police said. The trooper and his K9 were uninjured.
The driver of the Honda – Luis A. Acosta Garcia, 36, of Belvidere – was cited with violating Scott's Law and failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident. He was not injured.
At 4:35 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 14, a trooper was on the left shoulder on the westbound Eisenhower Expressway (I-290) at Mill Road in Addison, dealing with a car in a ditch. The trooper saw another vehicle hit a light pole, which fell into the right lane, state police said.
The trooper reversed his squad car in the left shoulder to get behind the light pole to warn oncoming drivers. At that point, the squad car was rear-ended by a Jeep Wrangler – leaving him with non-life-threatening injuries.
The trooper was taken to an area hospital. The driver and passenger of the Jeep were not injured, state police said. The crash was under investigation as of Tuesday, and charges were pending.
At 5:05 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 14, a trooper was assisting with a crash on the I-57 southbound ramp to Illinois Route 13 in Marion in Southern Illinois. The trooper's fully-marked squad car was stationary on the right shoulder of the exit ramp with its emergency lights on while assisting with a car that had ended up in the right ditch, state police said.
A Mitsubishi Galant lost control as it approached and struck the back of the ISP squad car, state police said. The force pushed the squad car forward into an Illinois Department of Transportation truck that was also at the crash scene, state police said.
The trooper was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Mitsubishi – Liani I. Anino, 18, of Greenfield, Indiana – was cited with violating Scott's Law and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.
At 10:14 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 14, a trooper was assisting with an accident on the southbound Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90/94) at Cermak Road. The trooper's squad car's emergency lights were on, state police said.
A Jeep Grand Cherokee hit the squad car from behind and attempted to flee, state police said. But the trooper caught up to the vehicle a short distance later, state police said.
The driver of the Jeep – Trovon L. Williams, 23, of Schiller Park, was charged or cited with driving under the influence of alcohol, improper passing of an emergency vehicle causing injury, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in injury, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, following too closely, operating a motor vehicle while using an electronic communication device, transportation of alcohol by a driver, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, and failure to carry a driver's license, state police said. A gun was also found in the car, and Williams was also charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
At 8:20 a.m. Monday, Jan. 15, a trooper was assisting with a crash on I-55 southbound outside Wilmington. The squad car was stationary in the right lane and had its lights and sirens activated, state police said.
A Honda Accord approached and did not move over – striking the rear of the squad car. No one was injured, state police said.
The driver – Brendan P. Wengler, 23, of Plainfield – was cited for violating Scott's Law and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.
ISP noted 21 Scott's Law crashes in 2023 and 23 in 2022 – eight of which involved troopers being injured. Scott's Law requires drivers to move over when approaching any emergency vehicle or any vehicle with its emergency lights on.
Anyone who violates Scott's Law faces a fine of a minimum of $250 and a maximum of $10,000 for a first offense. A violation that results in someone being injured results in a driver's license suspension of six months to two years.
