This is the 6th accident in the last 6 weeks involving a trooper hit by an accused drunken driver.
This time, the driver ran over state police trooper Paul Gifford’s foot while he was working a traffic detail in the North End on Saturday night/early Sunday morning.
The incident occurred on Sunday around 12:45 am close to the intersection of Acushnet Avenue and Holly Street in New Bedford, MA.
The trooper suffered right leg injuries as he was struck by a speeding car while he was outside his cruiser. Another police officer pulled him back to the curb to save him from the car, or he would have suffered even greater injuries, even possible death.
Gifford recovered from his injuries and returned to duty. He soon arrested the driver, Rogerio Mendonca, 29, of New Bedford, even after his foot was injured.
Mendonca was charged with drunken driving.
Massachusetts State Police spokesman, David Procopio, told the Boston Herald, "We are relieved that Trooper Gifford was not more seriously hurt, but once again, this underscores the dangers all police officers face from passing cars while on duty."
According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, the number of United States police officers who have died in the line of duty is up 43% so far this year.
The continuous series of crashes involving state troopers this summer has prompted the Massachusetts State Police to launch 1,000 extra patrols under the name of “Operation Lightning”. In addition, the state police will conduct a review of its safety procedures, policies and equipment aimed at decreasing the number of incidents in the future.
In a related note, the news article said that there have been 12 impaired driver arrests in Massachusetts this past weekend alone, as well as 270 citations for traffic violations and 8 criminal summonses for drunk drivers.
News Sources: The Boston Herald, The Boston Channel, The Boston Globe, WHDH, The Patriot Ledger.
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