FACE IT: Report Slides: State Trooper Struck by Tractor Trailer While Conducting a Commercial Vehicle Traffic Stop – Illinois

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program
• Description:
  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On March 28, 2019, a 34-year-old state trooper assigned to patrol duties as a CVEO, initiated a traffic stop of a tractor trailer on the right shoulder of a 4-lane highway. After she conducted her inspection, the trooper was standing on the driver's side running board of the truck talking to the driver, when another tractor trailer traveling westbound stuck the trooper, throwing her off the running board and into a ditch parallel to the highway. First responders attempted life saving measures but were unsuccessful. The trooper was pronounced deceased at the scene. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS - Occupational injuries and fatalities are often the result of one or more contributing factors or key events in a larger sequence of events that ultimately result in the injury or fatality. NIOSH investigators identified the following unrecognized hazards as key contributing factors in this incident: State trooper positioned in area exposed to moving traffic; Commercial Motor Vehicle failure to move over and operating a motor vehicle while fatigued. KEY RECOMMENDATIONS - NIOSH investigators concluded that, to help prevent similar occurrences, State law enforcement agencies should: 1) State law enforcement agencies should consider developing and enforcing a standard operating procedure or policy to conduct commercial motor vehicle inspections in an area away from moving traffic whenever possible. 2) State law enforcement agencies should consider developing and enforcing a standard operating procedure or policy to conduct passenger side approaches when it removes or lessens the hazards of moving traffic. 3) Law enforcement officers and other emergency responders should maintain situational awareness while working outside of their patrol unit and ensure they minimize their exposure to oncoming traffic. State, county, and municipal authorities should consider the promotion of public awareness campaigns to inform motorists of the dangers of driving while fatigued or ill. 4) State, county, and municipal authorities should consider promoting public awareness campaigns to inform motor vehicle operators of the risks that law enforcement officers face while operating along the roadside and of the need to follow "Move Over" laws. 5) State, county, and municipal authorities should consider wearing high-visibility safety apparel, such as retro-reflective vests, when conducting commercial motor vehicle inspections along an active highway to ensure greater visibility. 6) Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officers should consider placing emergency warning devices when conducting commercial motor vehicle inspections along an active highway to ensure greater visibility. Discussion: Although not a direct contributor in this incident, it is recommended that officers who are conducting routine traffic stops, or commercial motor vehicle inspections place emergency warning devices along an active highway for greater visibility. The full version of this report is available here: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/in-house/L202201.html. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Automobiles Law Enforcement Mortality Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Accident Analysis Accident Prevention Drivers Fatalities Law Enforcement Workers Motor Vehicles Police Officers Recommendations Region 5 Safety Practices Traumatic Injuries

  More +
• FACE - Firefighter:
  Cause of Death: Medical ; Structure Fire: Arson
• Series:
  Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (FFFIPP)
• Subseries:
  Law Enforcement Officers (LEO)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHLEO202201RS
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study ; Case Report
• Place as Subject:
  Illinois ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSR - Division of Safety Research
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-9
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20068575
• Citation:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, LEO 2022-01, 2023 Oct; :1-9
• Contact Point Address:
  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
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  92 - Public Administration - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  20190328
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:61eb9bd9a37cfb1d7d24a3d5bee5868a17d0da1c592b3ba244ce5e6e27244e6a6d9b0c2611cfb631537b2ac2b2389fbd5ea1221f926fc84bb370ec5e45859b48
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/228551/cdc_228551_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.11 MB ]