Missouri trooper seriously injured after being struck along I-35

FOX23 News at 9 p.m

CLAY COUNTY, Mo., (KBSI) — A Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper was seriously injured after being struck by a vehicle along Interstate 35 early Wednesday, according to Gov. Mike Kehoe.

Kehoe said the trooper had arrested a motorist on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and placed the person in his patrol vehicle, which was parked on the inside shoulder of the interstate.

Around midnight, a passing motorist struck the trooper and his patrol vehicle, Kehoe said.

The trooper suffered what the governor described as “very serious injuries.”

“Danger is inseparable from a law enforcement officer’s job — whether it’s working alongside highway traffic in the dark, responding to a domestic violence call, or confronting an armed felon,” Kehoe said.

Kehoe said he and first lady Claudia Kehoe are praying for the injured trooper and other law enforcement officers.

Additional information about the trooper’s condition or the circumstances surrounding the crash was not immediately available.