FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — An impaired driver crashed into a vehicle in Fairfax County Wednesday evening and narrowly avoided striking a trooper who was in the middle of a traffic stop, according to police.
A statement from Virginia State Police says the incident happened around 11:45 p.m. State Trooper J. Weitzman had stopped a Toyota sedan for speeding at 90 mph while driving north on Interstate 495 around Exit 51.
Weitzman activated his police vehicle's emergency lights to conduct a traffic stop. As he was standing beside the Toyota, police say, "a Nissan Versa traveling north on I-495 ran off the right side of the interstate and slammed into the trooper's marked patrol car."
The trooper's police vehicle was then forced into the Toyota due to the impact of the crash. Weitzman narrowly avoided getting struck by a vehicle during the crash by jumping out of the way, police say.
According to police, the Nissan stopped in the northbound lanes of I-495. The trooper made sure the driver and passenger of the Toyota were not injured and ran to the Nissan, police say. Weitzman found the Nissan's driver trapped in the vehicle with his door jammed shut and called for a rescue team.
Police say Weitzman helped the driver out of the Nissan through the passenger side. The Nissan's driver—who police identified as 65-year-old Corey Poole of D.C.—was not injured from the crash.
Poole was taken into custody by police and faces charges for DUI—his second in five 10—as well as driving without a valid license, failing to move over, and refusing to take a DUI breath test.
Virginia State Police are continuing to investigate this crash.
State police tweeted about the incident in Fairfax County reminding people to drive safely during the holiday season.
The tweet says, "It's the holidays, #Virginia! Pls #DriveSober #SlowDown & #MoveOver. Let's all make it home safely for the #holidays."
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