No injuries reported after patrol vehicle struck on I-94 near Cleveland, ND
Dec. 24—CLEVELAND, N.D. — No injuries were reported after a commercial motor vehicle struck a North Dakota Highway Patrol vehicle on Interstate 94 early Sunday morning, Dec. 24, about 2 miles west of here.
A North Dakota Highway Patrol trooper was investigating a crash in the median of I-94 involving two commercial motor vehicles. The patrol vehicle — a 2021 Ford Utility Police Interceptor (Explorer) — was parked on the shoulder of the median with emergency lights flashing, providing traffic control as the passing lane of the eastbound roadway was blocked from the crash.
The patrol said the trooper exited his vehicle and a third commercial motor vehicle jackknifed and struck the patrol vehicle. The patrol vehicle was pushed into the median where it became disabled. The commercial motor vehicle overturned and came to rest in the south ditch.
The trooper was not struck during the incident.
The patrol said rain fell on the roadway and a thin layer of ice built up. The patrol said the commercial motor vehicles were all traveling too fast for conditions, which was the contributing factor in the incident.
Eastbound I-94 was closed for about two hours during the incident. The three commercial motor vehicles were left in the ditch because it was unsafe to remove them, the patrol said.
The Stutsman County Sheriff's Office, Medina Ambulance, Medina Fire Department, Jamestown Area Ambulance and the North Dakota Department of Transportation also assisted at the scene.
The crashes remain under investigation.
