Deland, FL : Trooper injured after a crash on I-4 in Volusia County early Thursday, Oct 29, 2015

A trooper was airlifted to a hospital early Thursday after a crash on Interstate 4 in Volusia County, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

All westbound lanes of I-4 were closed from State Road 44 to Orange Camp Road shortly after midnight while emergency crews rescued Trooper Jay Spencer, 48, who was trapped in his patrol car. All lanes were reopened shortly before 5 a.m.

“The trooper sustained some pretty serious back and neck injuries. There’s still evaluating. We don’t think he has any broken bones, but anytime you get hit from behind that severely, it can do some damage to your neck and back,” FHP spokeswoman Sgt. Kim Montes said.

Investigators said Spencer's car, which was in the shoulder lane, was rear-ended by an SUV that left the roadway. The 31-year-old driver of the SUV will face careless driving charges, troopers said.

"We evaluated the driver at the scene. We don’t suspect any alcohol. He did talk to troopers at the scene and he may have possibly fallen asleep and that caused him to drift off the road and strike the patrol car,” Montes said.

Spencer was taken to Halifax Medical Center in serious condition while the other driver was transported with minor injuries.

“Just a reminder for anyone who’s traveling in the overnight hours or is sleep deprived, if you find yourself nodding off you really need to get off the road, take a break because we don’t want these types of crashes to happen,” Montes said.

Source:

Trooper hospitalized in crash on I-4 in Volusia County