Trooper injured when SUV fails to move over along I-94, state police say

An Illinois State Police trooper was injured Friday night when an SUV struck a squad vehicle parked along Interstate 94 near Northfield to block off a flooded portion of the roadway, authorities said Monday.

The trooper was taken to a hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries after the crash, which occurred at about 8:20 p.m. in the southbound lanes of I-94 near Tower Road.

According to state police, the trooper's squad was parked sideways with its emergency lights activated to prevent vehicles from driving through an area that had been flooded after a major storm moved through the area earlier in the evening.

A 2018 Jeep Compass traveling southbound failed to move over and struck the passenger side of the squad with the trooper inside, officials said.

The driver of the Jeep, Zeina Youmara, 62, of Lincolnwood, was cited for a Scott's Law violation, state police said.

According to the agency, it was the ninth crash this year involving a state police vehicle and a Scott's Law violation. The law requires drivers to slow down and move over when approaching an emergency vehicle, or any vehicle with its emergency or hazard lights activated.

In 2022, state police had 23 such crashes, leading to eight troopers sustaining injuries, officials said.

A driver found to have violated Scott's Law faces a fine of no less than $250 or more than $10,000 for a first offense. If the violation causes an injury, the violator's driver's license will be suspended for six months to two years.