Cruiser struck, officer injured, another seriously injured in crash on I-195

A 20-year-old New Bedford man suffered serious injuries in a rollover crash early this morning on Route 195 eastbound in Seekonk. A Massachusetts State Trooper who was helping investigate the crash sustained minor injuries when his cruiser was struck at the scene.

According to Dave Procopio of the Massachusetts State Police, Troopers from State Police-Dartmouth responded to the initial crash, a single vehicle rollover, at 3:22 a.m. Responding Troopers and other emergency personnel found the driver and lone occupant of the 2007 Ford Focus with life-threatening injuries. The victim was transported by paramedics to Rhode Island Hospital.

Because of the severity of the man’s injuries, Troopers from the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section (CARS), Crime Scene Services Section, and State Police Detective Unit for Bristol County responded to assist in the investigation. While on scene a 2015 Ford Explorer cruiser, occupied by a Trooper assigned to CARS, was struck by a passing 2020 Toyota RAV4 driven by a 74-year-old Yarmouthport woman. The 32-year-old male Trooper sustained minor injuries and was transported to Rhode Island Hospital for examination, and later released. The driver of the RAV4 was not transported and is expected to be cited.

Another CARS Trooper responded to the scene and continued the crash reconstruction.

The investigation into the cause of the initial crash is ongoing.