On Saturday night, a Maine state trooper, Trooper Patrick Flanagan, was injured in a rear-end collision while conducting a traffic stop on the southbound Maine Turnpike in Biddeford. Flanagan’s cruiser, with its emergency lights flashing, was struck by another vehicle, causing it to spin and hit the car he had stopped. Both Flanagan and the driver of the vehicle that hit him sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
The driver of the striking vehicle, a 25-year-old, was taken to a hospital along with Flanagan and issued a summons. The cause of the crash is still under investigation by the Maine State Police.
This incident marks the third time within 48 hours that a state police cruiser has been involved in a collision. Earlier crashes occurred in Gardiner and Gouldsboro, though no injuries were reported in those cases. The series of accidents highlights ongoing safety concerns for law enforcement officers on the road.
The Maine State Police continue to investigate the circumstances leading to this recent crash as part of their commitment to ensuring road safety for both officers and the public.