NIOSH • 1000 Frederick Lane, Morgantown, WV 26508 • 304-285-5916

Trooper Struck By Vehicle While 

Investigating Crash on 

Interstate Highway—Oklahoma

(NIOSH LEO 2015-01)

FACE IT: Report Slides
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Summary

• A 30-year-old Oklahoma 

Highway Patrol (OHP) 

trooper was fatally injured 

when he was struck by a 

passing motorist. 

• The trooper had responded 

to a crash involving a tanker 

truck and was at the scene 

when the incident occurred.

• The tanker truck was 

overturned, blocking the left 

westbound lane of the 

interstate and extending into 

the median. 

Crash scene. (Photo courtesy of Oklahoma 

Highway Patrol.) 
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Summary

• One additional OHP trooper and two officers from the local county 

sheriff’s office also responded to the crash. 

• The two OHP troopers were standing in a westbound lane upstream of 

the lane closure in an area that was partially blocked to traffic, with their 

backs toward oncoming traffic, assessing the scene. 

• At that time, a motorist driving in the westbound lane partially left the 

roadway, went around a patrol car, and struck both troopers. One OHP 

trooper died on impact; the other OHP trooper was critically injured and 

transported to a Level 1 trauma center.
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Location of vehicles at time when officers were struck.
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Contributing Factors

• Distracted motorist

• Visibility/Weather— dark, raining, wet 

roadway 

• LEOs standing in partially blocked lane 

of traffic, upstream of the lane closure

• LEOs positioned with back to the 

direction of oncoming traffic

• Positioning of patrol cars—one before, 

one beyond

• Incident occurred during scene size-up

• Roaming civilians distracting LEOs

• 911 communication system
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Recommendations • State, county and municipal authorities should consider promoting public 

awareness campaigns for distracted driving laws and the risks law 

enforcement officers face while responding to highway/roadway incidents

• State, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies should consider 

developing a standard operating procedure (SOP) for establishing safe 

work areas for emergency responders at highway/roadway incidents.

• State, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies should consider 

maximizing the use of patrol units and other responding emergency 

vehicles in the design of the temporary traffic control area as they arrive 

(i.e., deploying the vehicles). 

• State, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies should consider 

developing a standard operating procedure (SOP) that includes guidance 

on how to properly establish a temporary traffic control plan, including 

advance warning and transition areas for highway/roadway emergency 

incidents. 
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Recommendations

• State, county, and municipal 

law enforcement agencies 

should consider developing 

and implementing a standard 

operating procedure (SOP) for 

response and vehicle/resource 

deployment protocols for 

highway/roadway incidents 

involving hazardous materials. 

• State, county, and municipal 

law enforcement agencies 

should ensure all officers wear 

suitable high-visibility, retroreflective vests when operating 

at highway/roadway incidents. Crash scene. (Photo courtesy of Oklahoma Highway Patrol.) 
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Trooper Struck By 

Vehicle While 

Investigating Crash on 

Interstate Highway—

Oklahoma

(NIOSH LEO 2015-01)

Download the full report: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/leo/pdfs/L201501.pdf
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Contact Us

Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation 

Surveillance and Field Investigations Branch

Division of Safety Research, NIOSH

1000 Frederick Lane, M/S 1808

Morgantown, West Virginia 26505-2888

FACE Web Site: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/

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