The Maine Bureau of Highway Safety released a video Monday showing a close call between a state trooper and a distracted driver who sideswiped a cruiser in a box truck.

The video shows Cpl. Dan Hanson speaking to the driver of a pickup truck he had stopped on the side of Route 26 in Paris last November. Shortly after Hanson returned to his cruiser, a white box truck sideswiped the cruiser, sending pieces of the car flying into the air.

Just after the impact, the driver of the pickup truck jumps out of the vehicle to check on Hanson, who can be heard saying “I’m OK.”

The driver of the box truck told police he was looking at his cellphone. He was charged with distracted driving, according to police. His name was not released Monday.

Public safety officials posted the video to remind drivers to “slow down, move over and just drive” so law enforcement officers can get home safely.

Maine’s “move-over” law requires drivers to slow down for emergency vehicles parked along the road with emergency lights on. Cars are requires to move over to the left when possible.

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filed under:
distracted driving, Maine State Police, video
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