Massachusetts State Trooper seriously injured after cruiser hit by tractor-trailer

A Trooper was seriously injured late Tuesday after being hit by a tractor trailer while on detail.

According to a preliminary report by Dave Procopio of Massachusetts State Police, at approximately 11:44 p.m., an unmarked Massachusetts State Police cruiser with emergency lights activated was struck by a tractor-trailer while protecting a road construction crew on Route 95 southbound in Weston.

The Trooper, a 33-year-old male who was on a detail, was inside the stationary cruiser when it was struck. The Trooper sustained serious injuries, but was alert and radioed in the crash himself. He was transported to a Boston hospital.

Investigation indicates that the 2020 Freightliner Cascada, owned by Ship Optimus Inc., of Quebec City, Quebec, entered the detail setup at approximately 11:44 p.m., striking the setup barrels, cones, and arrow board; the Trooper heard and saw the tractor-trailer at the last second and braced for impact as his cruiser, an unmarked 2021 Ford Escape, was struck from behind. The force of the impact broke the steering wheel off, pushed the cruiser forward, and pinned the Trooper in the cruiser. The force of the impact then caused the tractor-trailer to swerve across the on-ramp, strike the guardrail on the right, then swerved back to the left, hit the median barrier, and came to rest jack-knifed across all southbound lanes.

The investigation determined that the operator of the tractor-trailer, a 27-year-old Montreal man, fell asleep and woke up at the last second and tried to apply his brakes, but did so too late to avoid hitting the cruiser. We will summons the driver to face charges of negligent operation, failure to move over, and marked lanes violation. The court of jurisdiction is Waltham District Court.

The scene was cleared at 1:09 a.m.