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DEEP Officer Involved in Accident

November 13, 2012 General

Anyone who has been injured due to the actions of a negligent driver should be aware of one’s full rights in court, including the possibility of being awarded compensation for pain and suffering. A Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection officer is dealing with injuries when his pickup truck was recently struck from behind in Bridgeport, authorities said.

The kicker is that police claim the driver of the vehicle that struck the DEEP officer’s truck was actually fleeing the scene of another accident in Fairfield when he allegedly caused the Bridgeport accident. Authorities believe the driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, making it an alleged drunk driving accident.

According to authorities, a 42-year-old man left the scene of a crash on Interstate 95 in Fairfield on the evening of Nov. 2. Shortly afterward, his vehicle crashed into the DEEP officer’s truck, state police said.

A spokesman for DEEP said the officer, who works in the department’s spill response unit, had stopped to assist state troopers when his truck was hit. He sustained minor injuries and was treated at St. Vincent’s Medical Center, according to the report.

According a news report, the defendant has been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, failure to stay in the proper lane and failure to keep the proper distance. He was treated for minor injuries at St. Vincent Medical Center, then booked and released after posting a $2,500 bond.

Driving under the influence is never ok. Both the drunk driver and the DEEP officer are fortunate that the situation did not turn out worse than it did. The man had an obligation to stop at the scene of the first accident.

Source: CtPost.com, “DEEP officer injured in crash,” Nov. 5, 2012