Tennessee troopers injured in separate highway car accidents.

The end of January saw two Highway Patrol troopers injured in two separate Tennessee car accidents at the same location. The car accidents happened only two hours apart. The first trooper was injured at around 3 p.m. while investigating the scene of an earlier accident. While discussing the car accident under investigation with another trooper, a vehicle crashed into his patrol vehicle from the rear.

An 71-year-old man crashed into the patrol car after losing control of his vehicle. One of the two troopers was injured and transported to a nearby hospital. The elderly driver refused to have his injuries treated. It is not expected that anyone will be charged in this instance.

Around 5 p.m., another trooper was injured at the same locale. The investigation into the previous accidents was not yet concluded, and troopers were still on the scene. A 36-year-old trooper parked his patrol vehicle on the left shoulder of the highway. A 43-year-old man reportedly lost control of his van and crashed into the dividing wall, then spun and hit the patrol car. According to reports, the van operator was driving at an unsafe speed given the road conditions.

Both the trooper and the van operator were injured and taken to a nearby hospital. No further information regarding the severity of the injuries is available. The van operator was charged with reckless driving, among other accusations.

In Tennessee, victims of car accidents who have suffered serious injuries may institute personal injury claims. Even if the van operator is not convicted of a crime in connection with the accident, the injured trooper may elect to initiate a civil claim. Any civil claims commenced by the injured law enforcement officers would be separate from any workers’ compensation benefits to which they may be entitled due to on-the-job injuries. Successfully litigated civil claims provide for the right of reimbursement for some monetary damages that are not typically part of workers’ comp claims, such as pain and suffering.

Source: wate.com, 2 THP troopers injured in crashes on icy I-40 in Jefferson Count, No author, Jan. 29, 2014