NEENAH, Wis. — A vehicle lost control and struck a Wisconsin State Patrol (WSP) cruiser along I-41 in Winnebago County Tuesday morning.
Police say a trooper was investigating a multi-vehicle crash near the ramp to County II on I-41 near Neenah around 6:25 a.m. A diver lost control of their vehicle and struck the unoccupied cruiser.
The Winnebago County Sheriff's Office is investigating the crash.
According to police, this is the second WSP cruiser struck in two days.
A trooper was pulled over on the shoulder of I-94 in Dane County on Monday afternoon when an inattentive semi tractor-trailer sideswiped his cruiser, according to the Wisocnsin Department of Transporation (WisDOT).
You can watch a video of the incident below:
No one was hurt in either of the crashes, but WisDOT says it was a close call.
Emergency lights were activated in both incidents, which indicates drivers should move over and slow down to protect the responders and public.
“Our troopers are lucky to have survived these incidents. They put their lives at risk to help keep our roads safe,” Superintendent Anthony Burrell said. “We need every driver to recognize the dangers first responders face and move over when their emergency lights are activated.”
According to WisDOT, Wisconsin's Move Over law requires drivers to move out of the lane closest to stopped law enforcement vehicles, ambulances, fire trucks, tow trucks, utility vehicles, or highway maintenance vehicles with warning lights activated. If a car cannot move over, drivers must slow down.
"Governor Tony Evers recently signed a new law in Wisconsin that officially defines an emergency or roadside response area and creates a new crime and penalty for traffic violations that lead to injury in an emergency zone. Fines may double for certain violations," WisDOT said in a statement.
Violations of the Move Over law can result in a citation of $263 or more if someone is hurt or killed.
Officials say there were 632 convictions for Move Over law violations in 2020.
