An Illinois man has been arrested after a black Infiniti SUV struck an Indiana State Police patrol vehicle on Interstate 80 in Lake County, injuring a trooper and a police intern.
The crash happened at about 11.15pm on Thursday, October 29, as Trooper Brayden Schrock was carrying out traffic enforcement on the inside shoulder of the eastbound carriageway near Indianapolis Boulevard, just across the state line from Illinois.
Police said the fully marked patrol vehicle was stationary when it was hit from behind at a high rate of speed. The impact caused substantial damage to the rear and driver’s side of the police vehicle.
Responding officers found the Infiniti disabled and blocking several lanes of the motorway. Trooper Schrock and the intern travelling with him were taken to hospital with minor injuries before being treated and released.
The driver was identified as Christopher T Idom, 34, of Blue Island, Illinois. Indiana State Police said he displayed signs of possible impairment, including bloodshot and watery eyes, and that officers detected the smell of alcohol.
Idom allegedly declined field sobriety tests, a portable breath test and a chemical test after being advised of Indiana’s implied consent law. A Lake County judge later approved a warrant for a blood draw, which was carried out at a local hospital; the results were not immediately available.
Indiana I-80 crash charges
Idom was taken to the Lake County Jail on preliminary charges of operating while intoxicated while endangering others, operating while intoxicated as a first offence, and driving a vehicle with a suspended registration.
He was also cited for unsafe lane movement and operating without financial responsibility.
The charges are allegations and Idom is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
