UHP trooper hit during I-15 stop recovering; Reminder for motorists to ‘move over’

UTAH – A Utah Highway Patrol trooper who was struck by an SUV during a traffic stop on Interstate 15 near Lindon Monday is recovering and has since been able to return home.

Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Devyn Gurney, 27, was involved in a collision on I-15 near Lindon in Utah County. He was outside of this patrol cruiser, having already stopped a driver, when an SUV crashed into the back of his cruiser, causing it to slam into him and the car he had stopped. While seriously injured, the UHP reports he is recovering and will soon be released from the hospital, Utah County, March 6, 2017 | Photo courtesy of the Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News

UHP Trooper Devyn Gurney, 27, who had pulled over a driver in the emergency lane was outside of his cruiser when an SUV crashed into the back of his patrol car, causing it to slam into him and the vehicle he originally stopped, according to the Deseret News.

Gurney’s legs were injured and he sustained critical injuries, yet they were not life-threatening, according to reports from the Utah Highway Patrol shared over social media Monday.

“Trooper Gurney has been with UHP for 3 years serving in Utah County,” a post read on the UHP’s Facebook page. “Thank you for all of your thoughts, prayers and well wishes for Trooper Gurney and his family. We feel very lucky that this was not worse.”

It was reported Tuesday that Gurney may be able to return home soon, much to the relief and gratitude of UHP Col. Michael Rapich.

“From my perspective, probably one of the greatest moments that I could imagine, going from expecting the worst to finding out our trooper is safe,” Rapich told the Deseret News Tuesday.

“We are extremely grateful that we don’t have another tragedy in The Utah Highway Patrol,” Rapich said over Twitter.

According to the Deseret News, a 28-year-old woman in the car that was originally pulled over also experienced non life-threatening injuries in the crash and her properly restrained 15-month-old daughter was not harmed.

The 48-year-old man driving the SUV, along with three children in between the ages of 5 and 11 years old in the vehicle, each sustained minor injuries.

Fatigue on the part of the SUV driver is believed to be a factor in the crash.

Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Devyn Gurney, 27, was involved in a collision on I-15 near Lindon in Utah County. He was outside of this patrol cruiser, having already stopped a driver, when an SUV crashed into the back of his cruiser, causing it to slam into him and the car he had stopped. While seriously injured, the UHP reports he is recovering and will soon be released from the hospital, Utah County, March 6, 2017 | Photo courtesy of the Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News

Gurney is the seventh trooper to be struck while on patrol in 2017, and serves as yet another example of why law enforcement officials continuously ask motorists to pay attention on the road when you see a pulled over police or other emergency response vehicle.

“Please MOVE OVER OR SLOW DOWN for all emergency vehicles and personnel on our roads – IT IS THE LAW. We want everyone to be safe on our roads.” The UHP posted over various social media platforms.

In St. George, the issue of vehicles not moving over for emergency vehicles triggered the “Move Over” campaign that started last November.

Following an incident in which a UHP trooper was struck on I-15 in July 2015, the UHP released a video online that showed numerous instances where police cruisers and other vehicles were crashed into by cars whose drivers didn’t move over.

That video can been viewed in the media player above following the report on Trooper Gurney.

The UHP also posted on its Facebook page:

If you see flashing lights, please slow down or move over. It is the law. No only does this apply to our Troopers on patrol, but all emergency vehicles and personnel.

Be attentive when you are driving.

We want to thank the public for their continued support and outpouring of well wishes for Trooper Gurney. We count on each of you to help us share our safety messages and to keep our Troopers safe while on duty.

Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @MoriKessler

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.

 

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!

1 Comment

  • mmsandie March 8, 2017 at 8:42 am

    Get to bed earlier, fatigue ha!!! 3 kids in the car should make your more alert.. Hope he has to pay for violating the law

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.