Newark, OH : OSHP Trooper, woman injured in crash on I-70 in Licking County on Tuesday morning, April 12, 2016

An Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper and a woman sitting in his cruiser were injured after a semi-truck crashed in the back of the vehicle Tuesday morning.

According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Trooper Rodney A. Hart was initially called to the scene to investigate a single-vehicle crash involving a 2008 Ford Focus. The car had hit the concrete median and was disabled in the right lane of I-70 near mile marker 136.

Shanice J. Parker, the driver of the disabled vehicle, was sitting in the front passenger seat of the cruiser with Trooper Hart, waiting for a wrecker to arrive.

Troopers say the patrol car was struck from behind by a semi-tractor trailer being driven by Eric Miller, 36, of Montrose, South Dakota.

According to the OSHP, Miller drove through a safety zone of flares that were set in the roadway, and continued off the roadway where it struck several trees before it jack-knifed on the side of the roadway.

Patrol Lt. Kevin Miller told NBC 4 the truck driver had plenty of opportunity to move over. “It’s unclear what the driver was doing,” Miller said. “He was unable to give us an explanation for why he didn’t see the trooper.”

Hart,45, was transported to Licking Memorial Hospital where he was treated and released.

Parker, 23, of Zanesville, was taken by helicopter to the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center where she is listed in stable condition.

Eric Miller was treated at the scene and was cited with failure to maintain an assured clear distance ahead, failure to change lanes for a stationary public safety vehicle and driving a commercial vehicle with impaired alertness.

Source :
OSHP Trooper, woman injured in crash on I-70 in Licking Co.