An Arizona trooper crashed into a wrong-way driver to bring the vehicle to a stop on Interstate 10 northwest of Tucson, officials say.
The incident happened about 7:30 p.m. Sunday near Avra Valley, but the state Department didn’t release details until Friday.
The trooper was helping a stranded driver when the radio call came about a driver headed east in the westbound lane, a state DPS news release said.
About 7:40 p.m. the trooper found himself in the direct path of the wrong-way driver near the Cortaro Road exit. The trooper aligned the front corner of his patrol vehicle with the front corner of the wrong-way car, crashing in to it to bring the car to a stop.
The car’s driver was an elderly woman the agency described as disoriented. She was not wearing a seat belt and suffered injuries that were not life threatening in the wreck. She was taken to Banner University Medical Center.
The trooper was treated for minor injuries.
“The ability of our trooper to assess the situation and take decisive action to stop the wrong-way vehicle, protected the lives of many motorists while endangering his own,” state DPS Director, Colonel Frank Milstead said in the news release. “I am proud of our brave trooper and pray he makes a full recovery and never has to face another wrong-way in his life.”
