WASHINGTON — Two Virginia State Police Troopers were hit within 12 hours of each other on Tuesday.
The first occurred around 3:30 a.m. when a trooper running radar in Prince William County was struck by an out-of-control SUV.
Trooper I.J. Dallam was parked on the left side of Interstate 95 near mile-marker 152 when the driver of a speeding 2000 Ford Explorer lost control and hit Dallam’s cruiser.
Dallam was running his radar on southbound traffic at the time of the crash, according to information from Virginia State Police.
The SUV overturned, slid off the left side of the roadway and crashed into Dallam’s marked patrol car. The impact caused extensive damage to the SUV and Dallam’s vehicle, although police have not yet released the estimated cost of damage to the vehicles.
Emergency crews transported Dallam to Sentara Prince William Hospital to be treated for serious, but non-life-threatening injuries. He was treated and released Tuesday.
The driver of the SUV, 23-year-old Corey Saenz of Quantico, Virginia, suffered minor injuries, but refused medical treatment.
Saenz has been charged with reckless driving.
The crash is under investigation.
Around 2 p.m., a trooper who had stopped a traffic violator and was standing on the shoulder of the westbound lanes of I-66 was hit when a passing vehicle ran off the road and hit the cars stopped on the shoulder. The trooper was struck in the collision, according to a news release.
The trooper, who has not been identified, and three other were taken to Fairfax Inova Hospital. The trooper suffered serious injuries and their extent is still being assessed. The three others had non-life-threatening injuries.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
