Working as a police officer is difficult work, and it’s extremely dangerous at times. Crashes can take lives and lead to disabilities, but officers still go to them, hoping to help those who have been injured. On the way to a crash site, officers have to use sirens and lights to get other vehicles out of the way. They’re legally allowed to move through traffic, which is supposed to stop and move out of the way.
The unfortunate truth is that many drivers don’t get out of the way, and they put officers at risk. Sometimes, officers on the way to help seriously hurt individuals end up getting into collisions and suffering injuries themselves. This is all typically a result of dangerous and distracted drivers who don’t follow the rules of the road.
That’s what happened in this case, according to the news out of Tennessee from July 1. A wreck took place at approximately 3:00 p.m. when a trooper was involved in a five-vehicle collision. The news reports that the trooper had been on the way to the scene of a collision when a car crashed into the officer’s SUV. In that collision, the officer and two others had to be taken to the hospital for treatment.
It’s required by law for vehicles to move over and give the right-of-way to emergency vehicles. Driving distracted, drunk or without mindfulness can lead to crashes like this where multiple people end up hurt. It’s the duty of those on the roads to know the rules and to obey them, so they don’t end up getting hurt or hurting others.