FHP Trooper Is Injured When Motorist Crashes Into Cruiser

In a fairly rare occurrence involving a motorist that crashed into a state trooper who had pulled over another motorist, an FHP patrol car who had pulled over a speeding motorist was hit from behind by a driver that lost control of his vehicle in a rainstorm on New Year’s Day. According to a report regarding the incident, the FHP trooper had pulled over a sedan with a passenger for speeding on State Road 589 in Tampa. The driver pulled over and the trooper was outside of the car speaking with the speeding motorist when a nearby motorist lost control of his SUV because he was going too fast in rainy weather and crashed into the trooper’s vehicle, which then crashed into the vehicle that had been pulled over for speeding. The driver of the SUV, the trooper, the speeding motorist, and his passenger were all injured in the incident. While this may be an atypical situation, it does highlight how important it is to be cautious in the presence of police and other vehicles that have their flashers on, lest you cause an accident by gawking at whatever the police happen to be doing.

The Law When Passing Police Who Have Pulled Over a Motorist or Are Responding to an Accident

Although this is not a typical scenario, accidents do occur with some frequency in areas where police may be present and have pulled over a motorist or are responding to the scene of an accident. Florida law requires you to move over a lane when it is safe to do so if you see a police car with its lights on. However, every motorist is probably familiar with the gawking that it seems like just about everyone does when they see flashing blue lights. Nevertheless, few people stop to consider that slowing down and staring out the window at whatever is happening on the side of the road takes your focus off the road in front of you and can cause you to lose control of your own vehicle. Given this, it is important to stay alert and not fall victim to the normal tendency to want to stop and stare if you see someone who has been pulled over or an accident that has occurred in front of you.

Contact Schwed, Adams & McGinley

Accidents frequently occur when police have pulled someone over or stopped to respond to an accident and other drivers gawking at the scene are not paying attention and causing an accident. If you or someone you love has been injured by someone who was not paying attention in or around a police vehicle that has pulled someone else over, you will need an experienced personal injury attorney who has represented motorists injured in similar scenarios to help you to recover maximum damages for your injuries. The experienced personal injury attorneys at Schwed, Adams & McGinley have over 200 combined years of experience representing over 15,000 satisfied clients. Contact the experienced personal injury attorneys at the law firm of Schwed, Adams & McGinley, P.A. today. We have achieved great success in representing clients who may have been involved in accidents regardless of the circumstances in which the accident occurred. Contact us today at (877) 694-6079 or contact@schwedlawfirm.com for a free consultation regarding your situation.