A driver was charged after he crashed into the rear of an Illinois State Police squad car, which had a police canine inside, while it was on the scene of another crash on Interstate 90 near Huntley.
The Illinois State Police (ISP) said there were five crashes involving their squad cars over the extended holiday weekend from Friday to Monday.
Three of the crashes were related to the state’s Move Over Law, otherwise known as “Scott’s Law.”
The first of the five crashes occurred around 8:16 p.m. Friday on westbound Interstate 90 at milepost 41.5 between Hampshire and Huntley.
ISP officials said the Troop 3 squad car was stationary on the left shoulder with its emergency lights activated.
The trooper was outside of the vehicle handling a crash when the squad was rear-ended by a Honda CR-V.
A police canine was inside the squad and both the trooper and canine were uninjured.
The driver of the Honda was identified as Luis A. Acosta Garcia, 36, of Belvidere. He was also uninjured.
Garcia was charged with the failure to yield to a stationary emergency vehicle and failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash.
Three of the other state police-involved crashes occurred on Sunday throughout the area, including on Interstate 290 in DuPage County, Interstate 57 in Williamson County and Interstate 94 in Cook County.
All three troopers involved were transported to hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries and two of the three drivers that caused the crashes were charged.
The fifth state police-involved crash over the holiday weekend occurred on Monday on Interstate 55 in Will County. No injuries were reported but the driver who caused the crash was charged.
In 2023, the state police had 21 Move Over Law-related crashes compared to 23 in 2022.
“ISP reminds the public that the Move Over Law requires all drivers to move over when approaching an emergency vehicle, or any vehicle with their emergency or hazard lights activated,” the agency said Tuesday.
A person who violates the Move Over Law faces a fine of no less than $250 or more than $10,000 for a first offense.
If the violation results in injury to another person, the violator’s driver’s license will be suspended for a mandatory period of six months to two years.