An off-duty Connecticut State Police trooper is injured after his cruiser was struck by an evading driver while he was at the scene of a crash on Route 15 in Woodbridge on Friday night.
State police said an off-duty trooper reported a two-car crash in the left lane of two on Route 15 northbound near exit 59 in Woodbridge around 6:30 p.m.
The trooper helped the vehicles involved in the crash move to a safe location in the right shoulder of the highway.
During that time, the trooper's police car and one other vehicle were struck by another vehicle that evaded the scene, state police said. The trooper was injured and was transported to Yale New Haven Hospital for treatment of suspected minor injuries.
Get Connecticut local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Connecticut newsletters.
The vehicle that evaded the scene was immediately found a short distance away at the Sunoco Gas Station on Whalley Avenue, troopers added.
The driver of the evading vehicle was identified as 28-year-old Barira Afzal Chaudhry, of Hamden. While at the scene, investigators said it was determined that she was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Chaudhry is facing charges including operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol (third or subsequent), failure to maintain lane, failure to move over for an emergency vehicle, evading responsibility, following too closely resulting in a motor vehicle accident and operating a motor vehicle without an interlock device.
Her bond is set at $20,000 and she is due in court on April 8.
