By Blake Haas
SPRINGFIELD – Three separate Illinois State Police troopers were not hurt while responding to calls in central Illinois on Wednesday.
According to a news release, the first crash happened around 7:40 a.m. in Springfield where a trooper was on the left shoulder of Interstate 72 westbound at milepost 122, near Illiopolis, assisting a stranded motorist who had slid off the roadway.
Police say a gray Chevrolet Impala driven by Anthony Newman, 29, of Springfield failed to yield the trooper’s emergency lights and slid on the roadway, and struck the rear end of the ISP squad car.
Newman did not suffer injuries, but the trooper was transported to a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. Police say the trooper has since been treated and released from the hospital.
While the crash remains under investigation, police say a violation of the move over law was a contributing factor to the crash.
In the second crash, around 12:30 p.m. a District 10 trooper was traveling on Interstate 57 southbound at milepost 181, south of Mattoon in the right lane with their emergency lights activated.
Police say a 2016 Chevrolet Trax driven by Dalton McCarthy, 20, of Maryland Heights, Mo., was traveling in the left lane. As McCarthy passed the squad car, he lost control on the slick pavement and hit the rear of the squad car.
Neither McCarthy nor the ISP trooper was injured in the crash. McCarthy was cited for following too closely.
In the third incident, around 3:20 p.m., a trooper in District 9 was working on the right shoulder of the ramp from southbound Veterans Parkway to Interstate 72 eastbound, in the southwest corner of Springfield.
Authorities say a vehicle traveling on the ramp lost control on the ice and struck the rear bumper of the ISP squad car, and pushed the squad car into the initial wrecked vehicle.
The driver of the offending vehicle was uninjured; however, the trooper was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to make a full recovery.
Police say the crash remains under investigation and a violation of the move over law was a contributing factor.
Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected].
