Trooper escapes injury when squad struck by drunken driver

MANDAN, N.D. (AP) — Authorities say a North Dakota Highway Patrol trooper manning road closure gates for Interstate 94 in Mandan avoided injury when his squad car was struck by a drunken driver. The patrol says incident happened early Sunday morning (April 24, 2022) after the interstate was shut down because of a blizzard. The trooper was facing eastbound in the westbound lane with his emergency lights activated when a vehicle approached at high speed. The trooper was able to move his car to avoid a head-on collision and was side-swiped by the vehicle, which continued on to strike the road-closure gates. The vehicle driver, who was not injured, was arrested for driving under the influence. The case is being investigated by the highway patrol and Morton County.