Over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, Illinois State Police were hit hard with multiple crashes involving their squad cars, with several incidents being tied to infractions of the Move Over Law, informally known as Scott's Law. The law mandates drivers to shift lanes when approaching an emergency vehicle or any vehicle with its hazard lights on. The holiday tally included five squad cars struck, three due to violations of Scott's Law.
One such incident occurred on the night of January 12th when a Honda CRV rammed into the rear of a stationary squad car on Interstate 90, as reported by Illinois State Police. The officer was out of the vehicle at the time, and no injuries were sustained by the officer, his K9 partner, or the driver, 36-year-old Luis A. Acosta Garcia. Garcia now faces charges including a failure to yield to a stationary emergency vehicle and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.
In another episode early on January 14th, a trooper stationed on the left shoulder of Interstate 290 was reversing to position his car to warn incoming traffic of a light pole in the right lane. It was then that his car was struck from behind by a black Jeep Wrangler. The trooper was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, and charges are pending against the driver of the Jeep, as the crash is still under investigation.
Later that day, another ISP squad car assisting with a collision was rear-ended by a Mitsubishi Galant on the Interstate 57 exit ramp. The force of the impact shoved the squad car into an IDOT truck at the scene. The trooper involved had to be taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, while 18-year-old Liani I. Anino, the driver of the Mitsubishi, was charged with violating the Move Over Law and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.
An incident on the night of January 14 saw a vehicle strike an ISP squad car from behind on Interstate 94, after which the offender attempted to flee but was apprehended shortly after. Trovon L. Williams, the 23-year-old driver, is facing several charges including DUI and leaving the scene of an accident, according to the state police press release. The trooper involved was sent to the hospital with injuries that were reported as non-life-threatening.
The final reported Scott's Law-related crash over the weekend took place on the morning of January 15 on Interstate 55, involving yet another ISP squad car that was hit while parked in the right lane with its emergency lights on. Thankfully, no injuries were reported. However, the driver, 23-year-old Brendan P. Wengler, was charged with the Move Over Law violation and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.
These incidents contribute to a growing number of Move Over Law-related crashes. In 2023, there were 21 such crashes, following 23 in 2022, which saw eight troopers injured. The Illinois State Police use these unfortunate events as a stark reminder to the public of the importance of obeying the Move Over Law, with the hope of reducing future casualties and ensuring the safety of emergency personnel working on the roads.
