Trooper's door mangled by passing semi
KENT, Wash. -- A trooper who had his patrol car parked on the shoulder had his driver's side door mangled when a semi truck passed by too close.
The trooper was clearing road debris from SR-18 near the SR-516 interchange just before noon Thursday when a semi truck zoomed by on the adjacent lane.
The wind from the passing semi pulled the patrol car door open and then the rear tires took out the door, said patrol spokeswoman Julie Judson.
Thankfully, the trooper was not in the car during the incident and wasn't hurt.
The state's "move-over" law dictates that traffic give parked police and emergency vehicles an extra lane of room when passing.
The trooper was clearing road debris from SR-18 near the SR-516 interchange just before noon Thursday when a semi truck zoomed by on the adjacent lane.
The wind from the passing semi pulled the patrol car door open and then the rear tires took out the door, said patrol spokeswoman Julie Judson.
Thankfully, the trooper was not in the car during the incident and wasn't hurt.
The state's "move-over" law dictates that traffic give parked police and emergency vehicles an extra lane of room when passing.
I see one car with lights on... could it be that the trooper didn't put his lights on, therefore the move over law doesn't come into play? Could it also be that there is a difference between emergency lighting and traffic directional lighting? Sounds like the trooper should shut his door... I have been passed many times by semi's with my window down, and never once has my door just flown open
@Jeremy Krohn It's possible the lights are not activated on the front. I've seen them with only the back lights on before. My guess is that his door was not shut all the way...
This isn't news.
how come we didn't learn about the "move-over" law during drivers ed? i somewhat recently heard about it and I thought it was something nice to do, not a law
@DylanJ It just went into effect this year.
Did you learn about the cell phone law?
@HonkeyCat I see cops on their cell phones and twiddling their console mounted laptops all the time. What law?
 @Headwrench That's because law enforcement and tow truck drivers are exempt from the cell phone law.
I wonder if that "Mover Over" law says anything about a stupid trooper that leaves a door open that is sticking out 3 feet into traffic?? It may have been the case that the trucker had someone on his right and could not move over. As for those comments about slowing down, try to slow one of those rigs down quickly. You don't. Those things are not kiddy cars and weigh over 20 times what a passenger car does. That trooper was too close to the fog line to leave a door open in the first place and he had room to park further off the road way too. If anything that trooper should have his butt kicked for creating a dangerous situation and a traffic hazard.
One more thing to consider. Why is that car only 3 inches off the fog line at the rear tire and 6 inches at the front. Even with the door a wadded up mess it is still 24 inches (two feet) into the road way. Looking at the blue car to the rear of the damaged car he is all but touching the guardrail. Why was this badge carrying Evil Kinevl all but setting on the active road surface?
h @LongBeachBum That's what I initially thought - stupid trooper for leaving his door open, but read the article again.Â
 @Heisenberg I did note that the suction pulled the door open, but the door was not latched, was it? No it could not have been unless the truck driver reached out the window on the passenger side and unlatched it. Oh by the way, the air coming off the front of a truck is a pressure. Have you noticed a passing truck feels like it's pushing you over? Only the air at the BACK of the truck is a vacuum so how did the truck get to the door when the air pressure from the act of the truck passing should have pushed the door to close?? My guess (and it is only a guess) is the trooper didn't see the truck and opened the door as the truck approached and that is how it ended up a wadded up mess. Having worked in the automotive field for 45 years, a crew chief on a race car and an instructor in automotive emission, I think I might be right about this.
$50 says the truck couldn't move over because some jackass 4-wheeler couldn't be bothered to slow down for a whole 15 seconds and let him over. The law needs to be amended to include a provision that passenger vehicles must yield to commercial vehicles attempting to move over for parked emergency vehicles.
RCW 46.61.212 states to slow down to a reasonable speed and due regard for safety. Reasonable isn't defined."
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I wasn't there and can't judge on "who" is at fault in this case.
O.K. guys and girls try this one on for size. If his window was open, the pressure wave from the passing truck filled the car cabin with air. With the wind having no escape route, once the car filled with air, it pushed the door open just far enough to contact the trailer wheels. I think the Trooper and the Trucker are going to have to share the blame on this one.An added note, the car door is mangled, and there is very little or no fender damage. Don't try that with your Honda. Crown Vic' we will miss you.(Ford has ceased production of this model). I agree with other posters that the door was not completely latched. Notice no glass on the ground, it might all be in the bottom of the door.
 @LNSeveN look again, there is glass all over.
If the trucker was following the law he would have been in the other lane or have been going slow enough that this would not have happened. All blame falls on the trucker.
 @Lord Farquad or maybe the trooper should have shut his door? come on now, he's on the freeway and cars dont always move over. this is just common sense. if you were pulled onto the side of the road, would you make sure your door is shut before you walked away?!
 @Lord Farquad
 Or perhaps on the meathead(s) who refused to let him over.
The only way the door was opened was because the officer didn't close it when he got out. The air from the passing semi pulled it open and smacked it. Send the bill to the officer for not being very smart.
The trucker may have not been able to move over. Could have been cars on his right.
 @Blindman You mean his left?
@Blindman Then the trucker should have slowed down, as the law states.
 @northwestsurfer  @Blindman Which is still a vague requirement.  If he had slowed from 60 to 50 is that enough, 45, 40, in any case it still could have pulled the door open and smashed it.  I do wonder if the driver was cited.
Did the truck driver stop? Did he get cited or anything?
Let me guess...Canadian driver.
I don't buy the story. I've never heard of one of those police car doors flying open from wind. Besides, isn't the low pressure area directly behind the truck? So wouldn't the door be pulled open after the truck cleared the car?Â
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Is it possible that the troops left his door open?Â
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Is KOMO just writing down word for word what the police tell them to write?Â
@caphillkid aparently you have never been on the side of a highway when a truck passes.
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 @jlw2168 Dude, the rush of air comes AFTER the truck passes. There is a pressure difference between the air next to you and the air directly behind the truck. When the rear of the truck is next to you, air is pushed into that low pressure area to compensate causing the wind effect.  Â
@ajohnsoccer21 I could be wrong, which I am occasionally...but laws of physics would apply here that the void left behind when the trucker has passed the point of where the door is, would leave a negative air pressure area. The area would then fill with air. I am on Cap's side
@caphillkid @jlw2168 Couple things... actually on a long enough semi, it is easy to be blown open before the truck fully passes... also, even if the door was open, the officer was out of the vehicle clearing he roadway with 99% chance he has some sort of flashing lights activated on his patrol car, which the semi should have ether changed lanes and if not possile, he should of slowed down and been paying attenton..
So, did the officer not shut his door all the way? Â Also, it's hard to get too upset with the truck driver. Â They can't drive in the left lane, and it's difficult for them to change lanes quickly. Â Trooper should have locked his door and parked further to the side.
From the picture, it looks like he was about as far over as he could get.Â
@blinkyfish on a two lane road they are alowed to use both lanes.
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The state's move over law requires a driver to move over OR reduce speed when an emergency vehicle is on the shoulder when moving over is not feasible or safe. Â :)
Move over for emergency vehicles on the side of the road.
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Another law, like keep right except to pass, don't talk on a hand held cell while driving, no texting while driving, etc, that is ignored!
 @HonkeyCat RCW 46.61.212  Read the law.
 @HonkeyCat  @oledawg "Move over for emergency vehicles on the side of the road."
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Much more to the law than just move over.
@oledawg Duh! Look at the post way above. I said the same thing. Woof!
 @Ken Conveniently left that part out, also the authorized vehicle must be making use of audible or visual signals.
Yep, that's what happens when you don't "move over" a lane..... Not all.... but too many idiot truckers.
 @Funky-Munky
 Even more idiot 4-wheelers that won't slow down and let us move over because they don't want to be held up a whopping 15 seconds behind the big slow truck. Happens to me at least a dozen times a day, every day.
Common sense, ("Move-over" law notwithstanding) says you don't park that close to the fog line and that you actually latch your door when you step away.
@Glassman if you read the story he stepped out to remove a piece of debris out of the road.
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@jlw2168 Which means it was ok to park nearly in the lane of travel & not latch his door?
@ajohnsoccer21 The truck driver may have been paying attention but also presumed the trooper closed his door.
@katiemcc latch his door, yes maybe... but parking to close? There is no room on the shoulder, if you look at the vehicle parked behind him, you can see there is not much space... doesnt matter where he is parked, pay attention when your driving is still something everyone has to do no matter the situation
 @Glassman That's why an officer has lights fastened to the top, rear, sides etc. that swirl and flash to signal others "I have the right away in all things" regardless of placement of vehicle.
 @Funky-Munky So, flashing lights overrule common sense? I gotta get me some of those.
Hey now. What's wrong with Harbor Frieght?
 @Funky-Munky No worries. As you say, we weren't there, so we don't know if there was a car beside him so he couldn't move over or what the reason was that he passed so close, but I aver that instead of the tone of the article blaming the truck, the onus is on the officer to use due caution, and IMO, he did not.
 @katiemcc  @Glassman LOL Thanx.
 @Glassman  @Funky-Munky Ha! Ha! That's okay Glassman.... we agree to disagree.... but I wasn't there.... I will always advocate "move over" common sense slow down and get over a.s.a.p so the policeman can have some room. peace. :)
@Glassman From what I've determined by reading your posts, you have too much common sense to allow the flashing lights to overrule it. But if you really want some, I believe you can purchase yellow flashers from Harbor Frieght Tools.