According to Tennessee law enforcement, a police officer is recovering after an accident involving an alleged drunk driver. The injured officer was hit by a moving vehicle after he arrived on the scene of another crash in order to offer assistance to other emergency workers on the scene. Trying to clear the roads, he was sitting in his squad car when it was struck by a truck. That second driver was arrested for drunk driving.

The report indicates that the police officer was speaking of pain in his neck and back after the collision, and he was taken to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment. After the crash, the driver of the truck was arrested and charged with felony reckless endangerment and DUI. If the driver is convicted of these charges, he could face time behind bars.

In addition to the felony charge and the DUI, the man was also cited for various traffic violations. These include failure to exercise due care, failure to move over for law enforcement and more. The Tennessee driver claims that while the accident was unfortunate, he was not drunk at the time of the collision. He states that he has diabetes and his medication sometimes makes him drowsy. His wife, also in the car at the time, insists that he was not drinking.

A person can be convicted for impaired driving, even if the impairment was related to prescription medication, not alcohol consumption. A criminal defense lawyer can help the driver protect his legal rights and prepare an optimal defense strategy. After any driver is arrested for drunk driving, he or she typically benefits by seeking legal help as soon as possible.

Source: thedailytimes.com, “Trooper hurt in accident stable; driver facing DUI, reckless endangerment charges“, Wes Wade, March 11, 2016