DOUGLAS COUNTY, Minn. – A Minnesota sheriff’s deputy assisting at the scene of a crash was seriously injured when another driver struck his parked police car while he was inside, authorities said.
The driver was also seriously injured, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said. Both he and the deputy were hospitalized.
The original crash occurred Sunday around 9:45 p.m. on westbound Interstate 94 near mile marker 86.
The officer’s car was parked at the scene with its emergency lights activated and several flares lit to alert drivers to the crash, the sheriff’s office said. The driver, an 18-year-old from Albany, struck the officer’s car at “interstate speeds,” the sheriff’s office said.
The deputy, a 23-year-old from Garfield, was wearing his seat belt at the time.
The Minnesota State Patrol is investigating both crashes. The sheriff’s office said it “urges motorists to slow down, remain vigilant and use caution, especially in hazardous road conditions.”
