The Lowell Sun
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Another Massachusetts state trooper has been hit by a car while on traffic patrol.
Police say Trooper Paul Gifford was outside his cruiser in New Bedford early Sunday morning when a driver who was allegedly drunk ran over his foot.
Gifford was not seriously injured and returned to duty. The driver was arrested.
The incident was the sixth in recent weeks in which a trooper was struck by a vehicle.
State police spokesman David Procopio says the spate of incidents underscores the dangers police officers face from passing cars.
State police have launched a public awareness campaign about a state law that requires motorists to slow down and move to a different lane if possible when passing an emergency vehicle.
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