A State Police trooper is expected to be okay after a car hit his cruiser early Saturday morning.
This all unfolded around 3:15 on I-91 South just before Exit 27 in Hartford.
State Police say a Kia Sportage drove through an extensive flare pattern that had been set up in the left lane before going into the median and side swiping Trooper Aaron Pelletier's cruiser. The car then went across all four lanes of travel, eventually coming to a stop in the right shoulder.
Trooper Pelletier, as well as the driver and the passenger in the KIA Sportage, suffered minor injuries as a result of the accident. The trooper's K9 was not injured.
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"The importance of drivers reducing their speed and moving over a lane to provide adequate space for stationary vehicles, emergency personnel, highway construction workers and tow truck operators cannot be emphasized enough. When operating a vehicle, please avoid distractions and focus your attention on the roadway ahead," Connecticut State Police said in a statement.
Authorities did not say what had prompted the trooper to pull over and establish a flare pattern.
The driver of the Sportage, identified as 26-year-old Jared Brunson of New Haven, was deemed to have been at fault for the crash and issued a misdemeanor summons for reckless endangerment and failure to maintain his lane of travel.
