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Published on Saturday, September 25, 2004
in the Lakeland Ledger

FHP trooper injured after I-95 crash during storm

A Florida Highway Patrol trooper was hospitalized Saturday evening after his patrol vehicle was struck by a hydroplaning car on Interstate 95 in Broward County.

Trooper Theodore Menner was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood with neck and back injuries, officials said. Menner was responding to a crash along the side of the highway when another car smashed into his cruiser.

"This is a perfect example of why people shouldn't be out there in these conditions," said FHP spokesman Lt. Roger Reyes. "He's working a crash and he's sitting there, about to get off at 7 after a 12-hour shift, and a car comes down the road and slams into his patrol car."

Menner's injuries were not "serious or life-threatening," Reyes said.

Troopers were pulled off Broward County's roads around 8 p.m. because sustained winds from Hurricane Jeanne exceeded the 45 mph mark and made travel too treacherous. Some FHP vehicles, including an armored cruiser, remained on the road to assist with search and recovery missions.