Arizona: Motorcycle trooper hit by possibly distracted driver, 'will be okay in time'
An Arizona State trooper is listed in stable condition at the hospital after being hit by another vehicle Thursday morning. Arizona Department of Public Safety Captain Damon Cecil, said three vehicles were involved in the crash on Interstate 10 near 43rd Avenue.
The ten year veteran was finishing writing up a citation related to a traffic stop when another driver in a maroon-colored van drifted off the freeway, said Cecil.
The van hit both the trooper and the motorcycle, eventually coming to a stop in the gravel.
The trooper was not on his motorcycle at the time of the crash, but was standing next to it, said Cecil. His police lights were flashing.
Col. Frank Milstead, director of DPS, tweeted Thursday morning, "Just visited our trooper at the hospital. Initial indications are that injuries are serious, but he will be okay in time."
"My trooper was thrown 100 feet," Milstead said. "He suffered serious injuries to his legs. He's got a bruised heart, a concussion, a bruised lung."
The man who hit the trooper is a 59-year-old man, a shift worker, who had just gotten off work and was heading home to Surprise.
DPS said there are no signs that the driver of the van began to brake or slow down before the crash. He said it does not appear the driver was impaired, but may have been tired or distracted.
"When this person drifted off, no skid, just ran right off into the back of everything," Milstead said.
The driver is cooperating with authorities. It is not known if any charges or citations will be issued.
The section of highway where the accident occurred had no rumble strips to alert a driver who veered onto the shoulder. Mislead did not think this would have caused the driver to avoid the crash.
"I don't think there was any safety device that would have take care of that," Mislead said.
Lanes were blocked while detectives investigated the crash, but it reopened just after 10 a.m.
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