BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — An Idaho State Police trooper had to be taken to the hospital after he was forced to jump over a concrete barrier to avoid being struck by a crashing truck.
"About 10 o'clock we had a trooper that pulled into the median to assist a broken down motorist. The broken-down motorist had a flat tire. The trooper activated his emergency lights, put on a yellow caution vest, and was assisting a motorist at that time. It's still very much under investigation, but it ended up being a six-car collision. Two trucks were pushed into the motorist that was broken down. That motorist that was actively working on his flat tire and the trooper, both had to jump over the concrete barrier to avoid being hit,' said Sgt. Brandalyn Crapo with Idaho State Police.
The close call was captured on the trooper's patrol vehicle near Ten Mile Road Wednesday morning.
ISP says the incident began when a patrol vehicle was stopped in the median to help a stranded driver with a flat tire. Police say a vehicle began to slow prior to passing the patrol vehicle when it was hit by another, causing a chain reaction of four eastbound vehicles.
Two involved pickups were pushed left, sideswiping the parked patrol car and hitting the rear of the Toyota. The owner of the Toyota who was also standing outside his vehicle reported minor injuries but was not transported.
The trooper was released from the hospital with minor injuries.
"You know today we were extremely lucky, the driver of the Toyota and our trooper, and luckily no one was severely injured in the crash but these types of situations are extremely common and this is truly a life or death situation and today we got lucky," Crapo said.
Crapo reminds everyone to slow down and move over for emergency vehicles.
"Any time law enforcement, emergency personnel, tow trucks, or incident response trucks are on the interstate, the Idaho law is that you have to immediately reduce your speed," Crapo said. "Move over one lane and just proceed with caution. If you're not able to move over, you've still got to at least slowdown and make sure you're paying attention to avoid any hazards."
"Traffic stops are very high risk. They're necessary to keep people safe on the road and to help those stranded, but we need motorists' help so we can all go home at night," Crapo said.
On Thursday, Idaho State Police will have extra patrols out on I-84 focusing on motorists who violate Idaho's slow down or move over law.
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