A state trooper who pulled over a driver for driving under the influence on Interstate 495 early Tuesday morning was struck by another driver also suspected of being under the influence.
Trooper C. Aziz responded around 3 a.m. to I-495 in Fairfax County to deal with the driver of the stopped sedan. While Azis was speaking with the driver, a suspected drunk driver in a Jeep hit a tractor-trailer that was behind the trooper’s patrol car. The force of that crash slammed the tractor-trailer into the patrol car and knocked Aziz to the ground, NBC4 Washington reported.
A video of the incident, taken from the patrol car’s dash camera, shows the patrol car jolt forward into the sedan and strike Aziz. She quickly gets back on her feet.
THIS is what impaired driving does. #VSP Trooper C. Aziz, amazingly, didn't end up w/any broken bones, but she still has a long road to recovery after a DUI driver slammed into the back of her patrol car while she was stopped out w/a DUID driver on I495 in FFX Co. on 6/11/24 . pic.twitter.com/Lfb1fI8awl
— VA State Police (@VSPPIO) June 12, 2024
“THIS is what impaired driving does,” Virginia State Police said in a post on X. “VSP Trooper C. Aziz, amazingly, didn’t end up [with] any broken bones, but she still has a long road to recovery after a DUI driver slammed into the back of her patrol car while she was stopped out [with] a DUID driver on I495 in FFX Co.”
Erica D. Bernard, the driver of the sedan, remained seated during the incident and also sustained minor injuries, according to ABC7. She was charged with driving under the influence of drugs; obstruction; possession of a schedule I or II substance; refusal of a blood/breath test; and improperly stopping a vehicle on a highway.
Joanna F. Hatch, the driver of the Jeep, was also arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI).
Feature image, Virginia State Police/X
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