Eight Troopers Hit in Three Days, State Patrol to Motorists: Pay Attention

In just the last four days, eight state troopers have been hit by motorists on Minnesota roads. And now the Minnesota State Patrol has an important message for area drivers—pay attention.

“A majority of troopers have been hit because people were not paying attention or driving too fast,” said . “Drivers need to be alert for flashing lights and move over to ensure we can do our jobs safely and the people we are helping are out of danger.”

There were no fatalities in any of the eight incidents reported between Sunday, Feb. 20 and Tuesday, Feb. 22, but troopers have sustained non-life threatening injuries.

During the latest crash, Trooper Tim Peterson sustained facial injuries, when his squad car was struck while he was arresting a drunk driver on Interstate 694 in New Brighton.

Officer Tim Olson routinely pulls over motorists as part of his daily duties. On a recent Wednesday afternoon, Minnetonka Patch went on patrol with Officer Olson-- during the four-hour ride-along, Olson initiated three traffic stops, one of them along Interstate 494. 

During that 10-minute traffic stop, as Olson's car sat on the shoulder, one car after another flew by in the right lane, nearly one hundred cars in total, most traveling at more than 60 miles-per-hour and most passing only within yards of Olson and the motorist whom he had stopped.  Every time a southbound vehicle raced past, Olson's almost two-ton Minnetonka Police squad car rocked heftily.

In just the last four days, eight state troopers have been hit by motorists on Minnesota roads. And now the Minnesota State Patrol has an important message for area drivers—pay attention.

“A majority of troopers have been hit because people were not paying attention or driving too fast,” said . “Drivers need to be alert for flashing lights and move over to ensure we can do our jobs safely and the people we are helping are out of danger.”

There were no fatalities in any of the eight incidents reported between Sunday, Feb. 20 and Tuesday, Feb. 22, but some troopers have sustained non-life threatening injuries.

During the latest crash, Trooper Tim Peterson sustained facial wounds when his squad car was struck while he was arresting a drunk driver on Interstate 694 in New Brighton.

Officer Tim Olson routinely pulls over motorists as part of his daily duties. On a recent Wednesday afternoon, Minnetonka Patch went on patrol with Officer Olson. During the four-hour ride-along, Olson initiated three traffic stops, one of them along Interstate 494. 

During that 10-minute traffic stop, as Olson's car sat on the shoulder, one car after another flew by in the right lane, nearly one hundred cars in total, most traveling at more than 60 miles-per-hour and most passing within yards of Olson and the motorist whom he had stopped. Every time a southbound vehicle raced past, Olson’s almost two-ton Minnetonka Police squad car rocked heftily. Olson acknowledged the danger posed by passing motorists during a traffic stop.

“They are suppose to move over," he said referencing Minnesota’s  ‘Ted Foss Move Over Law.'

The 10-year-old law dictates that on roads which have two or more lanes traveling in the same direction, a passing driver, if possible, must move left to provide a full lane of buffer space as they pass a police officer, an emergency vehicle or a construction vehicle, stopped on the side of the road. Violating ‘Ted’s Law’ can carry a $120 fine.

The law was named for Minnesota State Trooper Ted Foss, who was killed in August 2000, while conducting a routine traffic stop on the shoulder of I-90 in Winona. A semi-truck veered off of the road, striking Foss's squad car and Foss himself. 

Foss isn’t the only Minnesota State Trooper killled when hit during a traffic stop. In fact, this week marked the 33rd anniversary of the death of Trooper Roger Williams, who was struck and killed by an out of control vehicle while helping a motorist on I-94 near Alexandria.

And while many breathe a sigh of relief that no troopers have been killed this winter, there is worry that last weekend’s surge may be part of a larger, more disturbing trend.

From November 2009-March 2010, 13 State Troopers were hit by motorists on Minnesota roads. But in the same period this winter, more than double that number have been hit—31 in all.  And according to the Minnesota State Patrol-- that’s 31 too many.

“It doesn’t matter the road conditions; drivers need to pay attention,” said.