A state trooper took the hit from a wrong-way driver on a Seattle highway in an attempt to stop him and prevent injury to others, the Washington State Patrol said Tuesday.
Trooper Andrew Boyer was dispatched to a report of a driver going west in the eastbound lanes of state Route 520 just before midnight Monday, said patrol spokeswoman Julie Judson.
The wrong-way driver was initially reported by a construction worker and had caused two other cars to crash.
Boyer had his lights and siren on when he saw the oncoming car as a taxicab pulled out of Boyer’s way. It left him boxed in. Boyer knew he was going to crash and took the path he hoped would minimize damage and stop the car.
Boyer, 27, who works out of the Bellevue WSP office, was jarred but not injured, Judson said.
The driver continued to Interstate 5, still going the wrong direction, until his vehicle broke down. He got out and jumped over a barrier, falling 20 feet. He was arrested by Seattle police and taken to Harborview Medical Center, Judson said.
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