KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A Morristown Police Department officer suffered minor injuries after his patrol vehicle was struck by a truck that failed to move over at a traffic crash site on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Morristown government.
At 1:30 p.m., the officer was in the vehicle facing northbound in the roadway on 25E with its emergency lights on to cover people and other officers at the traffic crash site. The vehicle was then struck by a truck that failed to move over, hitting the rear end.
According to MPD, the officer only suffered minor injuries but the outcome could have been different.
Tennessee Code Annotated 55-8-132 has been nicknamed the “Move Over Law.” The law was created to keep emergency personnel safe when performing their duties on roadways. It has been updated to not only include emergency services, but also recovery, highway maintenance, solid waste and utility service vehicles.
“Distracted driving is a danger to everyone on our roadways," Morristown Police Chief Roger Overholt said. "It is reasonable to believe that had this officer not been protecting the scene with his vehicle, the citizens and officers at the crash site could have been seriously injured or killed.”
The Tennessee Department of Transportation said in November that had a rough few months. On Halloween, it held a press conference with THP and announced 33 of its HELP trucks had been slammed into this year while operators were responding to incidents. Five of those happened in October alone.
Authorities are encouraging people to pay attention and be aware of their driving behaviors.
“It’s not just cell phones that can take someone’s attention away from safe driving," Chief Overholt said. "Things such as eating, adjusting the radio or climate controls, and animals in the vehicle can cause the driver to take their attention away from the road. We are asking everyone to be aware of their driving behaviors to increase safety in our community.”
The crash is being investigated by the Tennessee Highway Patrol.