ISP Trooper Cruiser Hit Twice on I-70

PLAINFIELD, Ind. — An Indiana State Trooper narrowly escaped injury Sunday on I-70 near Plainfield after his patrol car was struck by two separate semi-trucks while he was assisting a stranded family. The incident occurred during the peak of Winter Storm Fern as the trooper was parked behind a vehicle stuck in the snow. According to Indiana State Police Sergeant John Perrine, the trooper was acting as a shield for the family, whose vehicle was sitting perpendicular to traffic.

In a transcript from the scene, Sergeant Perrine did not hold back regarding the behavior of motorists on the interstate.

“I think we have a combination of a lot of selfish drivers out there that are only driving for themselves and not for the safety of everyone else,” Perrine said. “Their disregard for safety is making it extremely dangerous, not just for our first responders and our troopers, but for everybody who has to be out today.”

Perrine explained that the crash was a two-stage event caused by high speeds and low visibility:

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1. The First Hit: A semi-truck passing the area at an unsafe speed caused a “whiteout” effect by blowing snow into the air, eventually sideswiping the trooper’s cruiser and knocking it out of position.
2. The Second Hit: Just seconds later, a second semi-truck struck the trooper’s car squarely in the rear.

Fortunately, the trooper’s patrol car did its job. “Fortunately, the trooper was not injured,” Perrine confirmed. “And even better, the family that the trooper was protecting was not injured.”

The I-70 crash was just one of dozens of incidents state police responded to on Sunday. Perrine noted that many drivers are finding themselves stuck not because they ran off the road, but because the snow is simply too deep for standard vehicles to navigate.

“Most of the roads are passable. However, we’re responding to dozens upon dozens of cars that are just getting stuck in the road,” Perrine said. “They’re not running off the road. They just can’t physically drive through the deep snow.”

He urged Hoosiers to stay home unless travel is absolutely necessary, specifically warning those without specialized vehicles. “If you don’t have a high clearance vehicle, an all-wheel drive vehicle, you should certainly give a second thought to any driving today.”

While I-70 near Plainfield has since reopened, the investigation into the two semi-truck drivers continues. State Police are looking into the specific decisions made by the drivers and whether they were in compliance with federal motor carrier guidelines during the storm.

“We’re continuing our investigation into both the drivers of the semis to see not only why they made the decision to do what they did and crash, but to make sure that they were operating properly within all the federal guidelines,” Perrine stated.