A drunk driver slammed into the back of a police cruiser stopped on Interstate 495 in Virginia early Tuesday morning. A Virginia State Trooper had stopped another driver suspected of driving under the influence of drugs. The collision sent the patrol car right into the trooper who was standing by the driver-side window of the car ahead. The officer was taken to the hospital for minor injuries, and both drivers took a trip to jail.
The dashcam footage is jarring. When the video begins, the stop is already atypical. The Virginia State Police claims that the stopped driver disobeyed instructions, coming to a halt on the roadway instead of pulling onto the shoulder. As a result, the trooper stopped alongside a tractor-trailer. According to WRIC, a Jeep Cherokee crashed into the police car. The trooper was knocked to the ground but stood back up almost immediately.
The Cherokee driver was charged with driving under the influence of drugs.
The sedan’s driver is facing a much longer list of charges, including driving under the influence of drugs, obstruction, possession of Schedule I or II substances, refusal of a blood/breath test, and improperly stopping a vehicle on a highway.
This isn’t the first time that one of Virginia’s state troopers had a close call with an out-of-control car. A 17-year-old behind the wheel of a 2018 BMW M3 lost control at 120 miles per hour on the other side of the median. While the BMW plowed into both cars, the lucky cop narrowly avoided serious injury as he stood out on the shoulder.
