A June traffic stop on I-70 in Washington County, MD, proved nearly deadly for a state trooper who was struck by a passing tractor-trailer as he stood on the shoulder near the stopped car.
The horrific scene was captured on video by the patrol car’s dash cam and was recently released. It can be viewed at NBC News.
State trooper David Avila, talking to the driver of the stopped vehicle, was struck by the passing semi after it first sideswiped Avila’s patrol car. The police officer staggers to the far side of the shoulder and can be heard on the video telling the passenger of the car to stay in the vehicle as he collapses near the guardrail.
Avila is currently undergoing physical therapy for injuries he sustained in the accident, including damage his shoulder, back and legs. Avila also suffers from post-concussion syndrome.
“Sometimes I look at it, and it just doesn’t seem like there’s light at the end of the tunnel,” he said in the NBC News report. “But I’m able to walk and doing a lot of physical therapy to get back.”
The driver of the tractor-trailer received a fine violating the state’s newly adopted “move over” law, which requires drivers to lower their speed and move over to the left lane when they see an emergency vehicle on the shoulder.
