State Trooper vehicle hit from behind responding to I-290 car fire

Dinesh Patel

Chicago, IL– On Jan. 4, 2021, at approximately 12:06 a.m., an Illinois State Police (ISP) District Chicago Trooper was on the scene of a car fire on Interstate 290 westbound at Harlem Avenue in Cook County when the Trooper’s squad car was struck by another vehicle.

While assisting with the car fire, the Trooper and the driver from the car fire were seated inside of the fully marked stationary squad car with the emergency lights activated when the squad car was struck. A 2007 Red Ford, failed to yield to the authorized stationary emergency vehicle which was in the middle lane, and struck the rear of the Trooper’s squad car. The Trooper and passenger were transported to a local area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Ford, who was identified as John Salvador, 69-year-old male of Westchester, Illinois, was also transported to a local area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Salvador was arrested for Aggravated Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and cited for a violation of Scott’s Law, No Valid Driver’s License, Operating an Uninsured Motor Vehicle, Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid an Accident, Following Too Closely, and Driver Required to Wear a Seatbelt. The investigation is still open and ongoing. No further information is available at this time.

The ISP would like to remind the public of the requirements of Scott’s Law, otherwise known as the “Move Over” law. When approaching a stationary emergency vehicle with emergency lights activated, or any vehicle with their hazard lights activated, drivers are required to slow down, and move over and change lanes if possible.

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“Please avoid an unnecessary tragedy by making responsible choices when behind the wheel,” stated ISP District Chicago Captain, Angelo Mollo. “Emergency personnel risk their lives daily to protect others. We would like to remind the motoring public to please obey all traffic laws, including the “Move Over” (Scott’s) Law, in order to protect the lives of our Troopers, other first responders and all members of the public,” he concluded.


The public is reminded that all persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.


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