A North Carolina State Highway Patrol trooper was hospitalized Sunday morning after a vehicle slammed into the trooper's stopped cruiser on southbound Interstate 85 in Orange County, right where the highway merges with westbound I-40. The crash happened around 8 a.m. amid dense fog that had settled over the roadway, and another person involved was also taken to a hospital.
According to CBS 17, the trooper had been stopped at the scene of a previous crash on southbound I-85 near Exit 163 when the collision occurred. Heavy fog in the area around 8 a.m. reduced visibility to less than 600 feet, according to the same report, turning an already hazardous stretch of highway into a near-blind corridor for approaching drivers.
Unconfirmed emergency reports cited by the station indicated the driver was traveling at least 60 mph when the vehicle struck the rear of the trooper's cruiser. The station's report did not identify the driver, confirm the cause of the crash, or specify how severely the trooper was hurt — only that the trooper was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and that no word on injury severity had been released.
Second Person Also Hospitalized
Another person was transported to a hospital from the scene following the crash, though details about that individual's identity or condition were not reported. The lack of information left open questions about exactly how the crash unfolded beyond the broad strokes confirmed by emergency officials.
The impact briefly snarled traffic in the area. Two lanes were briefly closed and one lane remained shut along southbound I-85 near I-40, just west of Exit 164 at South Churton Street, before crews cleared the wreck scene by 8:50 a.m. CBS 17 said it had reached out to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol for additional details on the crash.
North Carolina's Move Over Law
North Carolina's Move Over Law requires drivers to move over or slow down when passing a stopped emergency vehicle. Under state law, drivers must stop for an approaching emergency vehicle giving the specified warning signals and remain stopped until it has passed, unless otherwise directed by a law-enforcement or traffic officer, according to North Carolina General Statute 20-157. Violators can face a $250 fine; a violation is a Class 1 misdemeanor if it causes property damage exceeding $500 in the immediate area or injury to a listed emergency-response person, and a Class F felony if it causes serious injury or death to a listed emergency-response person, per guidance from the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
