Driver strikes North Port patrol car on I-75 during emergency response

An officer escaped injury last Wednesday night after a driver slammed into his parked cruiser on I-75 near North Port.

admin September 21, 2026 2 minutes read

NORTH PORT, Fla. – An officer escaped injury last Wednesday night after a driver slammed into his parked cruiser on I-75 near North Port.

North Port police I-75 crash

What we know:

The officer pulled onto I-75 just before 9 p.m. last Wednesday to render aid after an initial traffic crash. As the officer worked outside his cruiser with emergency lights flashing, a driver failed to move over and plowed into the parked patrol car.

A secondary crash occurred at the scene, where the driver of a truck was hit and later died from his injuries. The officer was not inside his vehicle at the moment of impact and avoided physical injury.

“Luckily, the officer was outside his vehicle, he was responding to a call that happened prior,” said Brittany Kammerer, the public information officer for the North Port Police Department. “He was rendering aid to somebody, so he was outside the vehicle and away from the vehicle when it occurred. He is very, very lucky. If he had been in the vehicle it could have been a totally different story.”

Police released video of the crash to demonstrate the real-world consequences of ignoring the Move Over law.

“Sometimes, if people see the consequence to the actions they’re able to piece it together a little better,” Kammerer said. “It’s one thing for us to say, ‘hey, you need to move over,’ but to see what happened is a total different story and, hopefully, it resonate with people a little more.”

Florida driver safety laws

What we don’t know:

Florida Highway Patrol investigators have not announced formal charges, though state troopers confirmed the driver who hit the cruiser will likely face a citation for failing to move over.

Highway safety rules

Why you should care:

Florida law requires drivers to move over a lane for stopped emergency vehicles, law enforcement, tow trucks, utility service vehicles, and construction crews displaying flashing lights. If traffic conditions prevent a lane change, motorists must slow down to 20 mph below the posted speed limit.