PHOENIX, AZ : DPS trooper, detainee injured in 4-vehicle crash on SB I-17 on Wednesday, January 11th 2017

A Department of Public Safety trooper taking a suspect to jail rear-ended another vehicle on I-17 Wednesday, starting a chain-reaction crash that left three people hurt, investigators said.

DPS shut down the southbound lanes of the freeway near Bethany Home Road for more than four hours to investigate, snarling traffic during rush hour. The southbound lanes were reopened around 9:20 p.m.

Investigators said the injuries ranged from minor to "non-life threatening."

According to Arizona Department of Public Safety Capt. Stephen Harrison, a trooper was taking a suspect to jail when he rear-ended a Dodge Nitro while changing lanes into the HOV lane shortly after 5 p.m. The Nitro struck a Toyota Matrix, while the trooper's SUV rolled into a Dodge Caliber.

Harrison said the trooper suffered injuries that were not life-threatening and the detainee sustained minor injuries. Both were taken to the hospital. The trooper should be released from the hospital on Wednesday night, he said.

The driver of another vehicle suffered minor injuries, and the other two drivers were not hurt.

The detainee, a woman, had been arrested on an outstanding warrant, Harrison said.

Harrison said the trooper wasn't speeding and it doesn't appear alcohol or drugs were factors in the crash. The trooper did not have lights or sirens on, said DPS spokesperson Bart Graves.

The trooper has been with the department for less than five years, Harrison said.

ADOT said the Dunlap, Northern and Glendale on-ramps to southbound I-17 were closed due to the crash.

The southbound lanes were expected to reopen around 8:30 p.m but they didn't reopen until just before 9:30 p.m.

Source :
DPS trooper, detainee injured in 4-vehicle crash on SB I-17