A horrific crash that claimed the life of a state trooper in Virginia has again highlighted the daily dangers traffic enforcement officers face on the state’s highways. Police said the 28-year-old trooper was killed after hitting a light pole following a two-car accident in King George County, VA, on June 24, 2011, NBC Washington reported.
View scene of the wreck in King George County on a Larger Map
NBC reported the incident occured at the intersection of Route 3 and Madison Drive in King George County, at about 6:45 pm. The trooper was responding to a call to help another trooper.
According to reports, the trooper’s Ford Crown Victoria was crossing the intersection when he collided with a Hyundai Elantra. The force of the crash’s impact sent the trooper’s vehicle into a traffic light pole. It split the vehicle in half. Police say the trooper was wearing a seat belt, but died instantly.
The driver and passenger in the Hyundai suffered minor injuries.
Police are investigating this crash. It’s unclear if any charges will be brought.
Unfortunately our experienced Virginia Beach personal injury attorneys see far too many cases in which troopers are injured in states such as Virginia and North Carolina while doing their jobs. Earlier this year we reported on how two VA State Police troopers were hurt on the state’s roads within a short time of each other. One of the troopers was seriously injured in a car crash that happened as the trooper was responding to the scene of a separate car crash involving another state trooper on I-395 in Virginia.
Last year in Newport News, VA, a state trooper and a Virginia Department of Transportation official were injured at the scene of no less than three accidents.
Since 1999, an average of 15 police officers and troopers have lost their lives each year after being hit struck by the side of a road or highway. Many more get injured when passing drivers fail to give the police the space they need in contravention of Virginia’s “move over” law that states drivers should move over or slow down if they see an emergency worker by the side of the road.
DM