Illinois State Police Announces 14Tth Squard Car Struck in 2019 "NOW 15"

[TowNews]

In less than 3 months 14 Illinois State Troopers have now been struck.

 

Photo: Illinois State Patrol / Facebook

 

Illinois State Police said a trooper responding to a crash on I-55 near St. Louis Wednesday night was struck by a semi.

 

Authorities said the trooper was conducting traffic control for another crash that happened earlier in the night.

 

Illinois State Patrol said the trooper was further away from the scene on foot when a semi hit him and his squad car.

 

The trooper was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. He was reported to be in stable condition.

 

State Police said this is the 14th trooper who has been hit in 2019. One of the 14 troopers was killed.

 

Illinois State Police told sister station KWQC that a trooper was hit by an intoxicated driver on St. Patrick's Day.

 

State Police said there's a law that's been in place for more than a decade named Scott's Law, which has renamed the "Move Over" law, to save lives.

 

The law requires you to move over for stopped emergency vehicles including police, fire, EMS, construction, tow truck drivers and also any car that has emergency flashers on.

 

Breaking the law means facing a penalty of up to $10,000.

 

ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Ill. (KCRG)

 

COPIED from ILLINOIS STATE POLICE FACEBOOK PAGE

 

COLLINSVILLE, IL - Illinois State Police (ISP) District 11 Commander William Guard announces the fourteenth ISP squad car to be struck statewide in 2019 as a result of a Scott’s Law violation.

On Wednesday, March 20, 2019 at approximately 10:54 p.m., an ISP Trooper was struck while assisting in the investigation of a traffic crash on Interstate 55 northbound at milepost 9.4, St. Clair County. The initial crash, reported at 10:29 p.m., involved a vehicle that left the roadway and struck a light pole. The pole fell across the lanes of traffic and seven additional vehicles struck the downed pole prior to ISP Troopers
arriving. The first ISP squad car arrived at approximately 10:39 p.m. to stop traffic and move vehicles around the downed pole.

When the third ISP squad car arrived at approximately 10:42 p.m., the Trooper positioned himself further back away from the scene to slow the approaching vehicles prior to them arriving at the initial scene of the downed pole. The Trooper was on foot, outside of his marked squad car with lights activated, when both he and his squad car were struck by a passing truck tractor, semi-trailer combination. The Trooper was
transported by ambulance to a local hospital with serious, but stable injuries.

The Illinois State Police Traffic Crash Reconstruction Unit and Zone 6 Investigations are continuing the investigation into this incident. No additional information will be released at this time.
 

What else can we possibly say or do to convince you to move over and slow down for us? The fact that 14 of OUR Troopers have been struck in this manner since January 1st is absolutely ridiculous. We lost Trooper Lambert in January and these crashes continue to occur.

 

 

[mooresbp]

Glad he will recover

[TowZone]

It could have been any of us! Many of us have encountered this road hazard.

 

No matter how many years and how many miles any of us have been on the road.

 

Illinois state trooper dies after being hit by wrong-way driver near Libertyville

 

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. (WLS) -- An Illinois state trooper has died following a crash near Libertyville early Saturday morning.

Trooper Gerald Ellis, 36, was on-duty in his squad car traveling home on I-94 westbound near milepost 16.75 in Green Oaks, when a wrong-way driver, who was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes, struck him head on.

 

Trooper Ellis was transported to a local area hospital with life threatening injuries.

At approximately 4:04 a.m. Trooper Ellis succumbed to his injuries.

The body of Trooper Ellis was escorted by law enforcement this morning to the Office of the Lake County Coroner in Waukegan.

 

"While the men and women of the Illinois State Police are still grieving our recent loss, it is with profound heartache and unfathomable sadness that we inform you of the death of another fallen trooper, Trooper Gerald Ellis, said Illinois State Police Acting Director Brendan Kelly. "Trooper Ellis laid down his life while protecting the citizens of this state. We are asking the public to respectfully give consideration to the family of Trooper Ellis and the ISP while we continue to process and work through this tragedy."

 

RESOURCE LINK with Video

[TowZone]

 

 

[mooresbp]

A true hero!!

[WildwoodJack]

It was in todays Waukegan News Sun paper that Trooper Ellis had switched lanes to prevent the wrong way driver from hitting a motorist behind him. He gave his life to save others. It was definitely the ultimate sacrifice. According to the paper Trooper Ellis was originally from Macomb, Illinois and now lived in Antioch, Illinois. The paper also said that the wrong way driver had alcohol in his system but coroners office was waiting for toxicology reports to come back to find out how much. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Trooper Ellis's family and to all the families and friends and the law enforcement community who have lost someone. May all of you rest in peace. Jack Herman Wildwood Service Gages Lake, Illinois

[TowNews]