A Washington State Patrol trooper was injured after their vehicle was struck by a "suspected impaired driver" on northbound Interstate 5 near 44th Avenue West in Lynnwood. The incident occurred while the trooper's vehicle was parked on the right shoulder with all the required lights activated, and resulted in both the trooper and the driver sustaining injuries. The crash forced a temporary lane closure, but KOMO News reported that all lanes had since been reopened.

Another incident within 24 hours involved a trooper's vehicle and a suspected impaired driver in a similar situation. With two such incidents occurring in less than a day, concerns regarding highway safety and impaired driving are intensifying. According to Trooper Kelsey Harding, who posted the information on social media at 11:13 A.M., "In less than 24 hours, two troopers in Snohomish County were struck by suspected impaired drivers."

The series of dangerous encounters with impaired drivers on the road comes in the wake of trooper Chris Gadd's tragic death earlier this year. Gadd was killed while patrolling on the shoulder of the I-5 north of Marysville by a driver who also was suspected of driving under the influence. 

This repeated pattern of incidents underscores an urgent need to address the issue of driving under the influence, which continues to pose a significant threat to law enforcement and the public alike. "Two suspected impaired drivers crashed into troopers within 24 hours," stated Sgt. Anthony Califano in a grim reflection of this ongoing challenge, with data obtained from HeraldNet.