SPRINGFIELD - On October 18, 2022, Illinois State Police (ISP) officials investigated two separate Scott’s Law Violations that occurred less than an hour apart involving injury to a trooper and two deaths. The first violation involved a traffic crash in District 12 - Effingham where an ISP Trooper received minor injuries. The second violation involved two construction workers who were fatally injured while setting out construction barrels in District 14 – near Burlington, IA.
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On October 18, 2022, at approximately 7:25 a.m., Illinois State Police (ISP) officials investigated a vehicle versus pedestrian traffic crash involving an ISP District 12 Trooper, on the ramp from U.S. Route 45 to Interstate 57 southbound in Effingham. The Trooper was on the right shoulder with emergency lights activated, parked behind a truck-tractor semi-trailer (TTST), while investigating a traffic crash. The Trooper was gathering information from the driver of the TTST involved in an earlier hit-and-run. The Trooper was on the driver’s side external floorboard of the TTST’s cab partially in the vehicle, when a passing TTST struck the Trooper and the cab. The Trooper was transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and has since been treated and released. The uninjured driver of the passing TTST, 42-year-old Eric D. Trevino of Temple Bell, TX, was issued a citation for a violation of Scott’s Law – Improper Passing of a Stationary Emergency Vehicle.
Also, on October 18, 2022, at approximately 8:03 a.m., two construction workers from a Burlington, IA company were struck and killed after being hit by a passenger car. The workers were walking behind their stationary pickup truck and trailer, which had its yellow construction lights activated, setting construction barrels for a work zone on the Great River Bridge of U.S Route 34 westbound as it crosses the Mississippi River. A 2016 Mazda CX5 traveling westbound struck a barrel and continued on, striking the two construction workers causing fatal injuries.
The workers are identified as Pearson J. Franklin, 20-year-old of New London, IA and Andrew Whitcomb, 35-year-old of Burnside, IL. The driver of the Mazda, Emily Johnson, 21-year-old of Gladstone, IL, was written citations for Scott’s Law – Improper Passing of a Stationary Emergency Vehicle, Improper Use of Electronic Communication Device, and Failure To Reduce Speed To Avoid a Crash. Johnson received minor injuries as a result of the crash.
There have been 19 ISP squad cars struck in relation to the Move Over Law and eight Troopers have sustained injuries from Move Over Law-related crashes. ISP is reminding the public of the requirements of the Move Over Law, otherwise known as “Scott’s Law.” When approaching an emergency vehicle, or any vehicle with their emergency or hazard lights activated, drivers are required to slow down AND move over. A person who violates Scott’s Law commits a business offense and faces a fine of no less than $250 or more than $10,000 for a first offense. If the violation results in injury to another person, the violator’s driver’s license will be suspended for a mandatory period of anywhere between six months and two years. Additional information can be found at the following link:
https://isp.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=21430274bef64fc5a19d8dcc191ff3f8
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