On Thursday evening, a state trooper suffered minor injuries after an alleged drink driver hit his cruiser. According to state police, this traffic accident marks the sixth time this year a trooper has been hit by an alleged drunk driver while in a cruiser.
The trooper was headed to work in a marked cruiser when he noticed cruisers with emergency lights heading towards him. He positioned his vehicle in the path of a driver who was fleeing from Milford police, and the driver collided with the cruiser. The driver reportedly jumped out of his pickup truck and was arrested after a brief chase. He refused chemical breath tests and was charged with drunk driving on the basis of his glassy eyes, unsteady feet, and the smell of alcohol.
According to a Milford police report, the driver was charged with operating under the influence (second offense), marked lanes violation, possession of alcohol in a car, failure to stop, and reckless operation of a motor vehicle. If the driver is found guilty of a second offense of OUI in Massachusetts, the penalty is jail time of 30 days to 2½ years, a fine of $600-$1,000, license suspension for up to two years, and a requirement to install your car with an interlock device. It could also result in probation and/or inpatient admission to an alcohol treatment program.
Source: State trooper is sixth hit this year by alleged drunk driver, Boston Globe, October 15, 2010
Contact the Massachusetts workplace injury attorneys at Altman & Altman if you have been injured on the job.