State trooper injured in I-95 multi-vehicle crash

OAKLAND PARK, Fla. (WSVN) -- Four people, including a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper, were injured Friday evening after a crash involving at least four vehicles on Interstate 95.

Multiple agencies have responded to the crash, which occurred at around 4:45 p.m. Friday. Along with police and rescue vehicles from Oakland Park, Broward Sheriff's Office and Fort Lauderdale, an air rescue helicopter landed at the scene.

Among those injured was an unidentified FHP trooper who was investigating a fender bender. She was airlifted to Broward Health Center.

The ruin left by the collision has the hallmarks of a violent crash. Investigators say the FHP cruiser was rear-ended at a median on I-95 just south of Cypress Creek Road by a black pickup truck traveling at a high rate of speed. The vehicle was dented on all sides, including the roof, and was declared a total loss. Investigators add that, luckily, the trooper was inside her cruiser at the moment of impact.

Rescue crews also had to extract the driver of black pickup truck and transported him by ground to a local hospital.

Traffic was backed up for hours. "It was in a standstill," said Joan Star, one of thousands of drivers stuck at the scene. "Nobody knew what was happening, and all these police cars were coming from everywhere. That was the scary part," she added.

Authorities eventually closed the entrance ramp at Sunrise Boulevard to halt the flow of traffic and opened a shoulder to allow the stranded vehicles to move on.

The highway northbound at Sunrise Boulevard has since reopened and authorities are still investigating.

The state trooper, who has been a member of the FHP for the past three years, is expected to make a full recovery and eventually return to work. Troopers say the truck driver will very likely face criminal charges when he gets out of the hospital.

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