Move Over

On March 16, 2022, at approximately 9:20 a.m., Trooper Robert Flynn had his blue emergency lights activated and was stopped near mile marker 1 in the southbound breakdown lane, behind a flatbed truck that was being towed for a mechanical issue. A tractor-trailer being driven by Johnny Rogers, 52, of Canastota, NY, drifted into the breakdown lane and struck Trooper Flynn’s cruiser. The tractor-trailer then veered back into the travel lanes, ending up in the far-left lane, striking and pinning a Jeep Cherokee, against the concrete barrier in the median. The occupants of the Cherokee were a husband and wife and two children. The driver for National Towing was underneath the flatbed truck trying to fix the mechanical issue at the time of the incident and miraculously suffered no injuries.

Fortunately, the Trooper, occupants of the Cherokee and flatbed truck that was stopped, only sustained minor injuries and are being evaluated at the Portsmouth Regional Hospital. The driver of the flatbed truck had exited the vehicle while the tow truck driver was working on it and was struck by a piece of debris from Trooper Flynn’s cruiser and is also being evaluated for what are believed to be minor injuries.

Rogers is being charged with failure to move over for an emergency vehicle and distracted driving.

Several lanes of travel were shut down to remove vehicles, backing up traffic. Troop K (Commercial Vehicle Unit), Troop G (Turnpike), Kittery Police Department, and Kittery Fire Department all assisted with the incident.
 

From the desk of Shannon Moss, DPS PIO

On Wednesday, February 16, 2022 at approximately 6:36 a.m., Maine State Troopers were assisting SPS New England as they were attempting to set up a lane closure for the bridge project. SPS New England and the Troopers were in the left northbound lane of the Piscataqua River Bridge, on Interstate 95 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire just prior to the Maine State Line where the lane closure was going to be set up. Trooper Thomas Welch, 43, who was in a fully marked cruiser with emergency lights activated was rear-ended by Sean McInnis, 31, of Merrimack, New Hampshire who was driving a silver Ford 150. Tr. Welch was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. McInnis and the two occupants in his vehicle were not injured. New Hampshire State Police is investigating the crash. Any questions about the crash or potential charges should be directed to the NHSP.

The Maine State Police and the Bureau of Highway Safety wants to remind drivers to put safety first.  One of the most dangerous parts of an emergency responders’ job is stepping out on the side of the road, whether it is for a traffic stop, to assist a motorist or to investigate a crash.

To protect those who protect us, every state has “Move Over” Laws, requiring drivers to Move Over and  Slow Down when approaching stopped emergency vehicles with flashing lights activated.