Montana: Highway Patrol vehicle damaged, Trooper nearly hit by passing semi

A Montana Highway Patrol trooper had a very close call on the interstate west of Butte on Sunday when he was nearly hit by a passing semi truck. On Sunday afternoon, the car door to a Montana Highway Patrol vehicle was nearly ripped off after being hit by a passing semi; it happened while the trooper was writing a citation to a driver he had pulled over on Interstate 90 near Anaconda.

Trooper Tom Gill was just seconds away from getting out of his vehicle when the semi truck passed by so closely and at such great speed that it literally sucked open the patrol car's door, causing damage to the car.

MHP Captain Gary Becker said, "The semi hit his door and caused debris to be thrown around in his car, and he had some of that debris in his eye and he was taken to the hospital and got checked out and has been released."

Becker noted, "Almost on a daily occurrence we see that happening throughout the United States where vehicles are being hit from the rear from other vehicles that aren't paying attention."

Becker says that drivers need to slow down when they are approaching emergency vehicles and, if at all possible, move over and away from the emergency vehicle.