A Maryland state trooper is in serious condition after being struck by a car while backing up another trooper on a traffic stop in Anne Arundel County, Md., early Sunday morning.
The trooper is identified as Trooper Jacqueline A. Kline, who is assigned to road patrol duties at the Glen Burnie Barrack. Kline sustained head injuries, a broken arm, cuts and contusions and is listed in serious condition at the University of Maryland R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center.
At about 1 a.m. Sunday, a K-9 trooper from the Glen Burnie Barrack stopped a suspected drunk driver on eastbound Route 100, just before the exit for Catherine Avenue. The trooper was administering field sobriety tests to the driver on the shoulder of Route100 when Kline stopped at the scene to provide backup.
Both troopers were operating marked patrol cars and had their overhead lights activated. Both cars were parked on the eastbound shoulder of Route 100.
Investigators believe Enrique Guzman Jr., 21, of Pasadena, Md., was traveling eastbound on Route 100, intending to exit at Catherine Avenue. As Kline got out of her car and walked on the highway shoulder toward the patrol car in front of her, the car driven by Guzman struck her.
The preliminary investigation indicates Kline was struck by the right front of the Nissan and hit the hood of the car. She was then propelled into the back of the State Police K-9 car where she struck the back windshield and metal K-9 cage inside the car. The trooper fell off the police car and landed in a ditch near the highway shoulder.
Guzman remained at the scene. Troopers administered field sobriety and drug recognition tests to him. They found no evidence that he was driving under the influence. He was apparently returning to his home after work and no charges have been filed against him at this time.
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No one else on the scene was struck by the Nissan or injured in any way. The K-9 dog inside the patrol car was not injured.
