DUANE — A state trooper is OK after a close call on a Franklin County highway earlier this month.
On Feb. 13, shortly after 8 a.m., state troopers were investigating a property damage crash at the junction of State Route 458 and State Route 30 in the town of Duane, according to a press release issued by state police that included a video of the incident.
According to police, two marked state police cruisers were positioned at the intersection of state Routes 30 and 458 facing north on the east shoulder of Route 30 with emergency lights activated. The operator of 1B46, Trooper Bailey Martin, from the state police’s Malone barracks, was outside her marked patrol vehicle consulting with another trooper regarding the crash investigation, police said.
At that time, a gray 2016 Dodge Durango, operated by Colin M. Wanat, 21, of Eastham, Mass., and also was occupied by Thomas E. Proia, 22, of Sudbury, Mass.; Brendan E. Walsh, 21, Madison, Conn.; and Ryan C. Surhoff, 21, of Westchester, was traveling east on State Route 458 approaching the intersection with State Route 30, according to police.
The Dodge failed to stop at the intersection and the vehicle struck Trooper Martin and then collided with her unoccupied patrol vehicle, police said. Wanat later indicated he failed to observe a posted stop sign due to sunlight impairing his vision and he attempted to stop and turn onto State Route 30 but was unable to do so, according to the police.
In a video of Martin’s body camera, which was linked to the state police press release, the moment of impact is captured, and immediately following the crash, another first responder could be heard asking: “Are you OK?” Martin at first replies, “No.”
The occupants of the Dodge are seen exiting the vehicle, and Trooper Martin’s leg can be seen as she lay on the ground after being struck. The damage to the state police vehicle and Dodge are also seen.
Trooper Martin and the occupants of the Dodge SUV were evaluated at the scene by first responders, according to police, and the occupants of the Durango sustained non-life-threatening injuries and declined further medical treatment.
Trooper Martin was transported to Alice Hyde Medical Center in Malone for further evaluation; she sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the collision and has since returned to duty, according to police.
State police did not indicate if any traffic violation tickets were issued to Wanat following the crash.