Driver accused of DUI in crash injuring Illinois state trooper on I-88, police say
A tractor-trailer had broken down at milepost 139 of westbound I-88, and the state trooper had parked on the right shoulder behind the tractor-trailer with his emergency lights flashing around 4 a.m., state police said. While the trooper was in his vehicle, a driver in a Tesla struck the rear passenger side of the squad car. The car was pushed into the rear of the tractor-trailer, injuring the trooper.
The Tesla driver, 24-year-old Sebastian G. Rodriguez, of Romeoville, was charged with driving under the influence and aggravated Scott's Law/Move Over Law violations.
Rodriguez and the trooper were transported to a nearby hospital with injuries, and the trooper's car had to be towed from the scene, state police said. The trooper has since been released from the hospital.
Move Over Laws require motorists to move over when passing stopped emergency vehicles, including fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars, as well as road workers, to allow for safe clearance. Illinois' Move Over Law is also called Scott's Law, after Chicago Fire Department Lt. Scott Gillen, who was struck and killed by a passing vehicle while at an accident scene on Dec. 23, 2000.
A Scott's Law violation with no damage or injury results in a fine and a marked driving record, but if injury or death occurs, the violation is considered a Class 4 felony, and the violator's license is revoked.
This is the 10th Move Over Law violation that has resulted in a crash in 2025, according to state police. In 2024, there were 27 such incidents, resulting in 12 troopers injured and one killed. Illinois State Trooper Clay Carns was struck and killed while clearing debris from I-55 on Dec. 23, 2024.
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