On Wednesday, December 19, 2018, at 8:36 a.m., a marked State Police patrol vehicle with emergency lights activated, was providing traffic control for a disabled vehicle on the shoulder of Interstate 81 north, one mile north of State Route 11, in the town of Onondaga.
A 2018 Hyundai, operated by Diane Lopez-Edouard, 40, of Endicott, was northbound on I-81 when she observed traffic slowing ahead of her. The driver stated she couldn’t stop in time, so she swerved to the right striking the driver’s side rear of the state police vehicle.
Lopez-Edouard was transported to SUNY Upstate Medical University for fractures to both arms; she was ticketed for violation of New York’s Move Over Law.
Trooper Andrew Broderick was transported to SUNY Upstate Medical University with neck and back injuries; he was treated and released.
State police would like to remind motorists of the importance of moving over for first-responders and others who assist with motor vehicle crashes and other roadside incidents.
New York’s Move Over Law requires cars to move over, if they can safely do so, for police, firefighters, ambulance workers, tow-truck drivers and other personnel as they work at crash scenes. Motorists are similarly required to move when construction and maintenance vehicles are stopped alongside roads.
Since the law was first enacted in 2011, almost 107,000 people have been ticketed for failing to move over. So far in 2018, 12,775 tickets have been issued. The penalty for violating the Move Over law is a fine of up to $150, or jail time of up to 15 days, or both. It also counts for 2 points on a driver license.