State trooper injured after car crashes into patrol vehicle

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Authorities say a Washington state trooper is recovering at home after he was injured when his patrol vehicle was hit by driver who fell asleep at the wheel.

The Spokesman-Review reports a 19-year-old driver hit another car Saturday afternoon before slamming into Trooper James Wickham's vehicle that was parked on the shoulder of Interstate 90 east of Spokane.

Trooper Jeff Sevigney says 42-year-old Wickham was taken to a hospital and released later that day. The driver of the other car was not injured.

Washington State Patrol says the driver was cited on second-degree negligent driving. Investigators have determined that drugs and alcohol were not involved.

The state's Ford Explorer and the driver's Ford Taurus were both totaled in the crash.

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Information from: The Spokesman-Review, http://www.spokesman.com