Midwest Troopers Injured; Ohio Trooper Killed

Mid- to late-October traffic incidents left several troopers injured and one trooper killed across the Midwest. On Oct. 19 in Detroit, a Michigan State Police trooper investigating a one-car crash on westbound I-96 was struck from behind by a 55-year-old man driving a Jeep Cherokee that lost control in wet conditions; the trooper and two passengers from the Jeep were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, and investigators said the Jeep had three of four tires worn below the wear bars. In Indianapolis, Indiana State Police Trooper Alexander Maxwell was injured when his cruiser—lights and siren activated—was struck by a northbound Hyundai Tucson; both Maxwell and the other driver sustained minor injuries and authorities said drugs or alcohol were not suspected. In Mahoning County, Ohio, 40-year-old Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper Nicholas P. Cayton was fatally struck while assisting a disabled semitruck on State Route 11 after a 2007 Mack Granite rear-ended his cruiser, which then struck the disabled truck; Cayton was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Mack was flown to a hospital while the driver of the disabled truck was uninjured, Ohio officials ordered flags at half-staff, offered condolences, and said the crash remains under investigation.