Ill. State Police squad car strucking while handling crash

On Nov. 21, 2023, at approximately 4:11 a.m., Ill. State Police (ISP) officials investigated a

two-vehicle traffic crash involving an ISP officer’s squad car that was hit by a motorist who failed to

move over on Interstate 294 northbound near Deerfield Road in Lake County.

An ISP Troop 15 trooper was stationary in the left lane of Interstate 294 southbound with

emergency lights activated. The trooper was handling a previous traffic crash when a 2014 Toyota

Corolla, traveling southbound, failed to move over and struck the left concrete median wall before

striking the left side of the ISP squad car. The trooper was outside of the squad car at the time of the

crash and was uninjured.

The driver of the Toyota, 44-year-old Joseph W. Allietta of Niles, Ill., was also uninjured. The

passenger of the Toyota was transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Allietta was issued citations for Scott’s Law, specifically: Improper passing of a stationary emergency

vehicle and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

In 2022, ISP experienced 23 “move over law-related” crashes where eight officers sustained

injuries and so far this year, the total is up to 19. ISP is reminding the public of the requirements of

the Move Over Law, otherwise known as “Scott’s Law.”

When approaching an emergency vehicle, or any vehicle with their emergency or hazard

lights activated, drivers are required to slow down and move over. A person who violates Scott’s Law,

commits a business offense and faces a fine of no less than $250 or more than $10,000 for a first

offense. If the violation results in injury to another person, the violater’s driver’s license will be

suspended for a mandatory period of anywhere between six months and two years. Additional

information can be found at the following link:

https://isp.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/340d57cd956c453da2de25af804c268d