Maryland State Trooper In Critical Condition After Being Struck By Car
PASADENA, Md. (WJZ) -- A Maryland State Trooper remains in critical condition after being hit by a car on Route 100. It happened around 1 a.m. Sunday in Anne Arundel County.
Rochelle Ritchie has more on the trooper and who is responsible.
The trooper has only been with Maryland State Police for a little more than a year. The accident is a reminder to drivers to move over for emergency vehicles.
Tire tread remains on Route 100 where Maryland State Police say Trooper Jacqueline Kline was hit violently by a driver who failed to obey the "Move Over" law.
"Certainly a tragic example of what can occur when vehicles get too close to our police officers out there," said Greg Shipley, Maryland State Police.
Around 1 a.m. Sunday, another state trooper pulled over a suspected drunk driver. Trooper Kline showed up to assist. She ended up needing help herself after a car driven by Enrique Guzman, 21, slammed into her as she walked along the shoulder.
Maryland State Police say Guzman was intending to get off at Catherine Avenue when he hit Kline. The impact was so strong it sent her flying into the air, into the back of another trooper's windshield.
"She actually broke the rear windshield and hit that K-9 cage that was inside the car there. She fell off into a ditch near the vehicle," said Shipley.
Kline is in Shock Trauma with head injuries, a broken arm, cuts and contusions.
Just last year, another trooper was hit after a tractor-trailer failed to change lanes. And in 2011, Baltimore City police officer Teresa Rigby was thrown over the JFX after a driver trying to pass another car lost control, causing a chain reaction that sent her over the barrier.
The "Move Over" law was implemented by the Maryland General Assembly in 2010. All three of these accidents, including Kline's, have happened after the fact--a reminder to drivers the law is there for a reason.
"It's important to stay as far away from them as possible for this very reason," Shipley said.
Charges are pending against the driver who hit Kline. Maryland State Police say he was not driving under the influence.
Trooper Kline graduated from the academy in 2010. Her boyfriend is also a trooper with Maryland State Police.
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