A Bloomington firefighter was struck by a car while directing traffic at a crash scene early Thursday morning, and the driver allegedly fled the area before being tracked down and arrested within hours. The firefighter's injuries were not serious, and the driver, 23-year-old Jentry Robbins, now faces charges including aggravated battery, reckless driving, and failure to remain at the scene of a personal injury crash.
Bloomington firefighters were called to a report of a traffic crash near Woodrig Road and Morrissey Drive around 7:30 a.m. Thursday, according to CIProud.com. The Bloomington Fire Department began tending to the occupants of the original vehicle crash and had a firefighter directing traffic when a driver struck him. Bloomington Fire Chief Frank Friend said the firefighter was treated at the scene and was not seriously injured, per the outlet's reporting.
Bloomington police spokesman Bryce Janssen said the driver fled the area following the collision. Per Friend's account, the driver appeared to have driven through the accident scene intentionally, though the outlet's report does not indicate that detail was corroborated elsewhere. Officers on scene managed to obtain a partial license plate, and license plate reader cameras helped locate the car.
How Police Tracked Down the Fleeing Driver
According to WGLT, the McLean County Sheriff's Office and Illinois State Police assisted Bloomington police in finding the fleeing vehicle after Automated License Plate Reader technology tracked it to the 1500 block of Calhoun Street in west Bloomington. The Bloomington Police Department's Real Time Information and Crime Center also helped locate the car, per CIProud's reporting. Police found Robbins nearby and arrested him without incident, according to Janssen; he was released on a notice to appear later in court.
Neither the occupants involved in the initial crash nor the struck firefighter required ambulance transportation, the same outlet reported, noting that fellow crew members treated the firefighter's minor injuries directly at the scene. Jason Greer, speaking on behalf of fire officials, said this could have ended far worse than it did. Greer added that working in roadways is one of the most dangerous environments firefighters face, and he reminded motorists to slow down, move over, and pay attention.
Scott's Law and the Risk Facing Roadside Crews
The incident once again puts a spotlight on Illinois' Move Over law, formally known as Scott's Law under Section 11-907 of the Illinois Vehicle Code. Drivers approaching stationary emergency vehicles with flashing lights are required to yield, change lanes, and reduce speed, and violations that cause personal injury are classified as a Class 4 felony carrying one to three years in prison and fines up to $10,000, according to the Illinois State Police. The law was established in 2002 and named for Chicago Fire Department Lieutenant Scott Gillen, who was fatally struck by a driver while assisting at an expressway crash scene in December 2000, according to the Cook County Sheriff's Office.
As Illinois strengthened its penalties this year, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 3164, which gives the Secretary of State explicit authority to revoke the driver's license of anyone convicted of a Scott's Law violation that results in serious injury or death. It is unclear whether that provision would apply in Robbins' case, since officials have described the firefighter's injuries as not serious.
The danger roadside crews face is not new to McLean County. Bloomington career firefighter Chris Brown was struck and killed in March 2013 while responding to a crash on Interstate 39 when a semi-truck driver failed to yield, according to Firehouse Magazine. Nationally, 46 emergency responders — including law enforcement, fire, and EMS personnel — were struck and killed in roadside incidents in 2024, according to Emergency Responder Safety Institute data cited by WGLT.
Drivers Still Ignoring Move Over Requirements
A AAA study reported by the Auto Club Group found that despite Move Over laws being active in all 50 states, roughly one in three drivers still ignores roadside safety requirements when approaching emergency responders. Illinois has tried to close that gap with technology as well as tougher penalties — the state launched a program in early 2024 that streams real-time alerts about active emergency scenes directly to navigation platforms like Waze, according to a report from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers.
Robbins' arrest adds to a pattern Illinois officials have flagged repeatedly in recent years. Hoodline reported in 2024 that the Illinois State Police recorded at least 17 Scott's Law violations involving struck squad cars in the first eight months of that year alone, injuring eight state troopers. For now, Greer's message to drivers remains the same one fire officials have repeated after each close call: slow down, move over, and pay attention, because the alternative — as Thursday's collision showed — can turn a routine crash response into another emergency altogether.
