An accused drunk driver hit a car that struck a Virginia state trooper on Tuesday morning — while the trooper was tending to another driver believed to be under the influence of drugs.
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (WDCW) – An accused drunk driver hit a car that struck a Virginia state trooper on Tuesday morning — while the trooper was tending to another driver believed to be under the influence of drugs.
Shortly after 3 a.m. on June 11, the trooper responded to reports of a car that had stopped in a lane on Interstate 495, the Virginia State Police said.
The driver of that car had refused the trooper’s instructions to get out or move the car to a safer area on the shoulder of the interstate, officials said.
A few moments later, a Jeep Cherokee struck a tractor-trailer that had been stopped in a lane on the interstate because of the trooper’s investigation. The Jeep spun out and hit the trooper’s cruiser, which in turn struck the stopped car and the trooper who was standing nearby.
In footage captured by the trooper’s dashcam, the officer can be seen standing at the window of the stopped car when her patrol vehicle suddenly lurches forward, having been struck by the Jeep. She’s then hit by the car, and knocked to the ground before standing back up.
The trooper had minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
The driver of the car that was initially stopped on the interstate — identified as Erica Bernard, 43, of Albright, West Virginia — was treated for minor injuries as well. She was charged with driving under the influence of drugs, obstruction, possession of schedule I or II substance, refusal of a blood/breath test and improperly stopping a vehicle on a highway.
The driver of the Jeep, Joanna Hatch, of Arlington, was also arrested and charged with driving under the influence.
An image from the Virginia State Police shows the trooper’s car after the accident. (Photo courtesy of Virginia State Police)
Both drivers were taken to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center after the incident.