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Published on Wednesday, June 12, 2004
in the Charlotte Sun-Herald
Rodriguez treated at DeSoto Memorial
ARCADIA -- A Florida Highway Patrol trooper was treated for minor injuries Friday morning after his patrol car was involved in a three-vehicle collision on State Road 31.
Trooper Roldan Rodriguez, 24, of Arcadia, was momentarily trapped in his vehicle after Richard Keith Strickland, 47, of LaBelle, Fla., hit his vehicle while Rodriguez was attempting to make a U-turn.
Both vehicles landed on the northbound side of the road, lying side by side.
The collision happened at 10:40 a.m. about 10 miles south of Arcadia, when Rodriguez slowed so that he could turn from the southbound lane to the northbound lane of S.R. 31 to pursue an alleged traffic offender.
A 1998 white Ford van directly behind Rodriguez, driven by Phillip Tristian Larsen, 52, of Orange City, Fla., slowed, but the 2001 white Ford truck driven by Strickland did not, according to an FHP report.
Strickland hit the rear of the Larsen's 1998 Ford van, forcing it off the road, before he hit Rodriguez's 2003 Ford Crown Victoria, causing it to flip on its right side and land on the east shoulder of the road.
Strickland was not hurt, while Larsen received minor injuries and was treated on the scene. After the efforts of the DeSoto County Fire & Rescue crew, Rodriguez was removed from his patrol car and taken to DeSoto Memorial Hospital in Arcadia with minor injuries.
All the drivers had been wearing seat belts, the report shows.