ROCK FALLS, IL — The door of an Illinois State Police vehicle was struck recently when a trooper attempted to open it while parked on the shoulder of a highway in northern Illinois, authorities said.
The incident occurred just after 10 a.m. Thursday, while a trooper assigned to commercial vehicle enforcement was inspecting trucks on northbound Highway 40 just south of Highway 30 in Rock Falls, according to police.
The squad was parked with its emergency lights activated on the right shoulder, police said. As the trooper opened the driver's side door to get out, a box truck that had failed to move over hit the door of the squad, according to police.
No one was injured, but the truck driver, 24-year-old Benjamin Vogel of Camanche, Iowa, was cited for improper passing of a stationary emergency vehicle causing property damage, police said.
So far in 2026, state police have experienced 13 Move Over Law-related crashes, with two troopers injured, a decrease compared to 2025 and 2024, when one trooper died, according to authorities.
Move Over Law violations result in a fine of $250 to $10,000 for a first offense, police said, noting that if the violation results in injury to another person, the violator's license will be revoked.
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