Published on Monday, July 2, 2007
in the WFTV News

Highway Patrol Vehicle Damaged During Accident Investigation

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Florida Highway Patrol troopers investigating a fatal pedestrian accident Sunday morning became part of the accident scene when a driver failed to notice the emergency lights and slammed into the back of one of the cruisers.

An FHP spokesman says the troopers were at a scene on State Road 50 and Belevedere Road in Orange County where a woman had been run over and killed around midnight.

Just after 2am a car driven by 42 year old Samuel Jones of Orlando drove through the emergency flares on the road and hit a Highway Patrol car that was parked in the eastbound lane with it's lights flashing.

Seeing the apporaching car, troopers on the scene scrambled for safety and none of them were injured. Both the cruiser and the car that hit it suffered heavy damage, but Jones was uninjured as well.

Jones told the troopers he had been extremely tired, and he was cited for careless driving. Alcohol is not believed to have been a factor. The cruiser is considered a total loss.

The orginal investigation involved a woman, still unidentified, who had wandered onto the road and was hit by a car driven by a 17-year-old. There were no charges filed in the accident.