A drunk driver crashed into the back of a stopped police patrol car on Interstate 495 in the city. Virginia early Tuesday morning. A Virginia State Police trooper stopped another suspected driver Driving while drunk of drugs. The collision caused the patrol car to hit the trooper who was standing next to the driver’s side window of the vehicle in front. The officer was taken to the hospital for minor injuries, and both drivers were taken to jail.
The footage from the dash cam is jarring. When the video started, the stopping point was atypical. Virginia State Police stated that the driver who was stopped did not follow instructions, stopping on the roadway instead of holding onto the curb. As a result, the soldier stopped next to a tractor-trailer. According to WRIC, a Jeep Cherokee crashed into a police car. The soldier was knocked to the ground but got up almost immediately.
The Cherokee driver was charged with driving while intoxicated.
The sedan driver is facing a much longer list of charges, including driving while intoxicated, obstruction, possession of Schedule I or II substances, refuse blood/breath test, and improper stopping on the highway.
This isn’t the first time one of Virginia’s state troopers has a close call with an out of control vehicle. A 17-year-old man behind the wheel of a 2018 BMW M3 lost control at 120 mph on the other side of the median. While the BMW crashed into both cars, the police officer was lucky to avoid serious injury as he stood on the shoulder.
