UPDATE: Trooper Hurt in Crash

A Kansas State Trooper was injured while assisting a motorist along Interstate 70 west of Salina Wednesday afternoon when a patrol vehicle was hit.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, 64-year-old Steven Sneath was in an agency Dodge Durango, legally stopped on the west bound shoulder of I-70 near mile marker 249 performing a motorist assist. The patrol SUV’s emergency lights were activated.

A 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 pickup driven by 61-year-old Robert Roswell from Rock Springs, Wyoming, was headed west on I-70 when it entered the shoulder lane and struck the rear of the patrol vehicle.

Both Sneath and Roswell were transported by EMS to Salina Regional Health Center with suspected minor injuries.

The agency says Kansas Law requires all drivers to move over or slow down for emergency personnel and road crews when flashing lights are visible. Only three feet separate emergency personnel from traffic moving at highway speeds, and there’s only so much emergency personnel can do to keep themselves safe when they pull over on the side of the road.

Please do your part to help first responders go home to their loved ones. You can make a difference and help save someone’s life by moving over and slowing down.

_ _ _

ORIGINAL: A Kansas State Trooper was injured while assisting a motorist along Interstate 70 west of Salina Wednesday afternoon when a patrol vehicle was hit.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, Shortly after 2pm, a patrol vehicle was struck while assisting a motorist on I-70 Westbound at milepost 249 in Saline County. The Trooper, who was initially trapped in the vehicle, was alert and conscious and was transported to Salina Regional Health Center.

The agency says this is always a scary scenario that could have been much worse.

Kansas Law requires all drivers to move over or slow down for emergency personnel and road crews when flashing lights are visible. Only three feet separate emergency personnel from traffic moving at highway speeds, and there’s only so much emergency personnel can do to keep themselves safe when they pull over on the side of the road.

Please do your part to help first responders go home to their loved ones. You can make a difference and help save someone’s life by moving over and slowing down.