Trooper struck after weekend crash on Southfield Freeway

A Michigan State Police trooper was struck and dragged after a crash during a traffic stop early Sunday on the Southfield Freeway in Detroit, according to a post about the incident on X.

The agency on Monday posted dash cam footage of the impact.

"This is how close we came to losing three lives in a preventable crash yesterday," MSP wrote.

The trooper was conducting a traffic stop on the southbound side of the freeway near Fenkell Avenue at 12:50 a.m. Sunday.

An SUV moving at a high rate of speed struck the back of his patrol car, causing the SUV to become airborne and hit the trooper, state police said.

The trooper was taken to the hospital and suffered from road rash, state police said. He might have had a torn Achilles tendon and there was no initial sign of broken bones, state police said.

The two people involved in the traffic stop were also hit, according to state police. They sustained non-critical injuries and were taken to a hospital, along with the male driver of the SUV.

The male suspect was "belligerent and uncooperative" with troopers at the scene, MSP said. Police were seeking a warrant for the suspect's blood under suspicions of impaired driving.

"Here is another driver, possibly impaired, driving at a high rate of speed," MSP Lt. Mike Shaw said. "It puts all of us in danger and is preventable. We are extremely lucky that this crash did not end up much worse. Just slow down and don’t drive impaired. It is that easy."

hmackay@detroitnews.com