Wisconsin: McFarland woman crashes into back of Middleton squad at 60 mph

Local law enforcement agencies are reminding drivers about the "Move Over Law" after a woman crashed into the back of a stopped Madison police squad car at about 60 miles an hour.

Wednesday morning around 6:10 a.m., the Middleton Police Department, Fire and Emergency Medical Services were on the scene of a motor vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 12 near University Avenue. A Middle Police Department officer was providing traffic control when his squad car was rear ended by another vehicle.

The squad was stopped, fully marked and had its emergency lights activated, according to the Middleton Police Department. Two other Middleton Police squads and two Middleton Fire trucks were also on the scene with emergency lights activated.

"We were very lucky that none of our officers were injured, that they were able to see the vehicle approaching and thought it might hit one our cars and they were able to get out of the way and nobody was injured," Middleton Police Captain Troy Hellenbrand says.

Investigators say the 21-year-old female driver from McFarland was driving at a high rate of speed, about 60 miles per hour, and crashed into the back of the unoccupied police squad. The driver told police that because of the rain and her bad windshield wipers, she could not tell where to go before crashing into the police vehicle.

The woman had non-life threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital. No police officers or emergency responders were injured.

The Dane County Sheriff's Office is investigating the second crash. Officers are now reminding all drivers of the "Move Over Law" that requires them to provide a safety zone for a stopped police vehicle, ambulance, fire truck, tow truck, utility vehicle or highway maintenance vehicle.

You should shift lanes whenever possible or slow down when you see one. Police say not doing this is one of the reasons that motor vehicle crashes kill more law enforcement officers on duty than any other cause.

"There's also a reminder here of driving in the rain and inclement weather," Capt. Hellenbrand explains. "Yesterday was a perfect example, we can get downpours, the road can get slick pretty quickly and vehicle spin outs and accidents can happen."