Illinois Highways See 10th Trooper Car Struck This Year

You would think that Illinois drivers would know better by now. For the 10th time in 2025, a trooper's car was smashed into while responding to a previous accident on a highway in Illinois as Scott's Law has been violated yet again.

According to a press release by the Public Information Office of the Illinois State Police, a trooper was handling a previous wreck near I-55 southbound at milepost 217 in Livingston County around 2:35am on Tuesday, September 2, 2025 when his vehicle was slammed into by a driver who did not move over. 59-year-old Samuel Gomez of Omaha, Nebraska, was charged with Driving Too Fast for Conditions, Operating an Uninsured Motor Vehicle, and a Scott’s Law/Move Over Law violation. The Illinois State Police officer was in the vehicle at the time it was impacted, but reported no injuries. His vehicle was damaged to the point where it was not drivable and had to be towed from the scene.

Anyone who violates the Move Over Law faces a fine of no less than $250 and no more than $10,000 for a first offense. If someone is injured by the violation, the license of the offending driver will be suspended between six months and two years. While this is the 10th move over violation in Illinois in 2025, the official Illinois State Police dashboard shows a total of 11 crashes. One of the crashes listed on that dashboard may have not been a violation of Scott's Law.

What is Scott's Law?

The Illinois State Secretary of State says Scott's Law "was named in honor of Scott Gillen of the Chicago Fire Department, who was struck and killed by a drunk driver while assisting at a crash on a Chicago Expressway". Drivers are required to slow down, move over and drive with caution near any emergency vehicles.