A Utah Highway Patrol trooper suffered minor injuries Thursday afternoon when his cruiser was hit by a car that lost control on Interstate 15 in Millard County.
UHP used the incident to “remind motorists to slow down and move over for emergency vehicles.”
“Please help us keep our troopers safe,” said UHP spokesman Lt Todd Royce in a news release.
Trooper Jeff Rowell was hit at about 1:30 p.m. Thursday after stopping on the side of the freeway, with his lights activated, to assist another motorist who had slid off the roadway.
As Rowell was advising dispatchers of his location, another driver lost control and slid into the rear of the patrol car, according to a UHP news release..
The driver stated he was traveling at 78 mph when he lost control. The posted limit in that area is 75.
But weather conditions, and UDOT overhead signs, suggested a more conservative speed would have been prudent, the news release said.
Rowell was transported to the Fillmore Hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries and released.
The motorist, who was not injured, was cited for driving too fast for existing conditions.
(Courtesy of Utah Highway Patrol) Highway Patrol Trooper Jeff Rowell pulled off the side of I-15 in Millard County to help a driver who had slid off the road on Thursday 21, 2017. That's when another car lost control and slid into his patrol car.