State trooper nearly struck during traffic stop on I-26 in Dorchester County

DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – A state trooper was nearly hit when a motorist crashed into the vehicle he had pulled over during a traffic stop earlier in the month.

Around 3:30 a.m. on June 4, a vehicle ran off the road, hitting a vehicle the trooper had stopped, narrowly missing the law enforcement officer, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

The incident happened on Interstate 26 eastbound near mile marker 181. The Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the collision.

A similar incident took place on June 14 when another trooper missed being hit in Richland County.

The highway patrolman had to jump over a guardrail to avoid being struck by a vehicle that lost control. They were taken to a nearby hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.  

As a result of these two recent events, highway patrol said they want to remind people of South Carolina’s Move Over Law (56-5-1538), which requires drivers to slow down and move over when driving near emergencies, if possible.

• Keep their vehicle under control;
• Proceed with due caution;
•  Significantly reduce vehicle speed;
• Change lanes, if at all possible, to allow room for responders to work safely;
•  Maintain safe speed for road conditions if changing lanes is impossible or unsafe.