FREEPORT, Ill. (WAND) - An Illinois State Police trooper was killed in a crash on Thursday after being hit by a semi truck while outside of her vehicle on a highway in northern Illinois.
WREX reports the crashed happened around 11:30 a.m. on U.S. 20, just west of Illinois Route 75. That's near Freeport, which is about 30 miles west of Rockford.
Investigators say the trooper killed was Brooke Jones-Story, a 12-year veteran of the Illinois State Police District 16 unit. The semi reportedly hit both Jones-Story and her vehicle.
So far, no cause of the crash has been released. It is not clear if there will be criminal charges.
This deadly crash comes the same week both Illinois State Police and Gov. J.B. Pritzker made new pushes from the state capitol for drivers to slow down when near law enforcement vehicles on the road. So far, 15 ISP vehicles have been hit in 2019 after a total of eight for all of 2018.
In particular, ISP and Gov. Pritzker have said there will be greater enforcement on "Scott's Law." The law, designed to protect first responders and law enforcement on the road, has rules for how drivers should slow down and be careful.
Violating the law could lead to thousands of dollars in fines, and driving privileges suspended for at least 90 days and up to two years if someone other than the driver is injured.
