A Florida Highway Patrol Trooper was hospitalized in serious condition yesterday, after an accident in Orlando. FHP spokesperson Sgt. Kim Montes says 38-year old Trooper Dave Rodriguez had just completed a traffic stop on State Road 528 and Orange Avenue around 8:40 Thursday morning, when he was struck by a car as he was getting back on his motorcycle. The FHP bike was marked, had its emergency lights on, and was parked properly in the emergency lane on State Road 528. It is not known why the car left the road and struck the rear of the motorcycle.
The impact of the crash sent the trooper onto the hood and into the windshield of the car. The vehicle then hit a speed limit sign, which ejected the trooper into the median, where the speed limit sign fell on top of him. Investigating troopers say Trooper Rodriguez was wearing his helmet, and that charges are pending in the case against the driver of the car, a 20-year old Orlando woman.
Sgt. Montes also noted that Florida’s Move Over law requires drivers on roads with multiple lanes of travel in the same direction to “vacate the lane closest [to an emergency or law enforcement vehicle parked along the road] as soon as it is safe to do so.” If you cannot safely move over, you must slow down to a speed of 20 miles an hour below the posted speed limit, unless directed otherwise by a law enforcement officer.
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You can contact Mike Royer at mroyer5@yahoo.com or at 407-473-2287 or 386-492-7438.
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