SALISBURY, Mass. — A Massachusetts man is facing charges after a state police trooper was injured when their cruiser was struck on the North Shore Saturday afternoon.
According to a state police spokesperson, the collision occurred around 2:15 p.m. when the trooper had stopped to remove a ladder from the left travel lane of I-95 south in Salisbury just prior to I-495.
Moments after removing the ladder and returning to his cruiser and buckling his seatbelt, a vehicle struck the back of the cruiser suddenly and without warning.
Troopers from the Newbury barracks, along with Salisbury EMS, responded to the scene to render aid and facilitated the transport of the trooper to Portsmouth Regional Hospital in New Hampshire with serious injuries.
“In the days and weeks ahead, the State Police will fully investigate the facts and circumstances of this crash, including the actions of the driver as well as the ladder in the roadway that prompted the Trooper to stop in the first place. We do so while keeping our focus on our injured colleague, who has the full support of the Massachusetts State Police as he recovers from several serious injuries,” Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble said in a statement released Saturday night.
“This incident also underscores a broader, ongoing concern for the safety of those who work on our highways. Far too often, drivers fail in their responsibility to slow down and move over when approaching emergency vehicles displaying their lights. This law exists to protect lives. If not for this Trooper’s decision to wear his seatbelt, the outcome could have been even more tragic.”
The operator of the motor vehicle that struck the cruiser, identified as Josue Levi Cuevas Santana, 24 of Lawrence, will be summonsed to court on several charges, including negligent operation of a motor vehicle, speeding, using a mobile device while driving, and failure to move over for an emergency vehicle. Santana was transported by ambulance to Lawrence General Hospital with unknown injuries.
Officials said the trooper is from the Newbury Barracks and that he had his lights on when he was stopped.
MassDOT crews responded to the scene to secure the ladder and clear debris from the roadway.
The three left-most lanes of I-95 South were closed for approximately an hour during the investigation.