North Dakota Highway Patrol vehicle hit on I-29

GARDNER, N.D. (Valley News Live) - A North Dakota Highway Patrol vehicle was hit on Interstate-29 Wednesday afternoon. It happened near the Gardner exit just before 1:00 p.m.

The interstate was closed at the time of the crash, and had been since 8:00 Tuesday night. The Highway Patrol and Department of Transportation were working on clearing snow and stranded vehicles from the interstate.

The trooper was providing traffic control on southbound I-29, forcing drivers to exit the road. While the patrol car was parked on the closed road with the emergency lights flashing, two vehicles approached at about 75 miles per hour.

The first vehicle braked before reaching the location of the trooper. The second vehicle veered around the first vehicle and into the path of the patrol car. A 2003 Honda Odyssey van ended up running into the patrol vehicle.

No one was hurt, and the Cass County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the crash. The trooper and the driver of the van were both wearing seatbelts. The air bags deployed in the van.

Traffic was diverted off I-29 at Exit 85 for approximately 45 minutes during the crash investigation.