MSP urges caution; several troopers injured in winter storm crashes

Michigan State Police is reminding drivers to give extra space to troopers responding to problems on the roads after the agency says several officers were injured during a Christmastime winter storm.

One crash, on Friday night in Detroit, sent a trooper to the hospital with broken bones and internal injuries, police said. The trooper was responding to a three-car crash on I-94 near Chene when dash camera video posted by the agency showed a driver spin out of control, hit a car involved in the earlier accident and push it into the trooper as she stood in the shoulder. The trooper was hospitalized in stable condition and an investigation is ongoing, MSP said.

Police tweeted that the driver who caused the crash “was traveling too fast for conditions and failed to move over.” Michigan’s Move Over law requires motorists to slow down and provide safe clearance to authorized vehicles with their emergency lights activated.

“Please make sure to use extra caution while traveling today,” MSP posted on Twitter on Saturday. “This video shows ... how fast things can change and why its important to stay in your car when involved in a crash.”

Several patrol cars were also hit in winter weather leading up to Christmas, MSP said Saturday. All of the troopers hurt sustained minor injuries.

Portions of northern and western Michigan saw as much as 1 to 2 feet of snow over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service. A winter weather advisory remained in effect for much of western and northern Michigan through 7 p.m. on Christmas Day.