UPDATE August 14, 2012: LONGVIEW (KYTX) - Trooper Nip was treated and released from the hospital.
DPS is still investigating the crash and no charges have been filed at this time. No word on when Trooper Nip will return to duty.
LONGVIEW (KYTX) - A DPS trooper is in the hospital after an early morning wreck with a pickup truck.
CBS 19's Richard Trelles was at the scene of the accident on highway 271 and tells us what happened.
"It was pretty loud it sounded like something exploded, " Roggles said.
Mason Roggles was watching TV at his friend's house when he heard a loud bang outside
"We all came outside and the truck was rolling to a stop. The cop car was parked over in the ditch, " Roggles said.
The loud bang they heard turned out to be a crash, involving DPS trooper drew nip and a gold GMC pick up truck hauling several air conditioning units.
The trooper was taken out of his patrol car by two passers-by.
"The two guys that stopped behind the cop had picked him up. He couldn't really move they had to pick him up and roll him over to the side of the road. He laid there until the ambulance came," Roggles said.
According to DPS, Trooper Nip was traveling northbound on hwy 271 just south of Gilmer. After observing a traffic violation, Trooper Nip activated his emergency lights and attempted to make a u turn in pursuit.
DPS Trooper Jean Dark says,"The vehicle that was behind trooper nip failed to yield to his emergency lights and while he was sideways in the roadway, that driver struck the driver's side door of the patrol car."
The driver of the truck, 64 year old Gilmer resident Donna Young was transported to ETMC in Gilmer. Trooper Nip was taken to Good Shepherd in Longview. Both sustained non life threatening injuries.
"There have not been charges filed however that's still a possibility the troopers on the scene will continue to gather evidence," Trooper Dark says.
DPS says accidents like this can be avoided if motorists obey the law.
"The law says you will yield to the right when a police officer has activated their emergency lights," said Dark.
