MARTIN COUNTY — A Florida Highway Patrol trooper was in critical condition after being struck by a vehicle Monday morning while at the scene of a prior crash along Interstate 95.
The trooper, Mithil Patel, 31, of Fort Pierce was taken to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, where he was in critical condition, said Lt. Alvaro Feola of the Florida Highway Patrol.
Patel was standing with another man along the side of the highway when another car spun out of control, striking Patel and tossing him into the air.
Patel was responding to an early-morning crash on northbound Interstate 95 near Hobe Sound, which was blocking the right lane when a car was rear-ended causing another to lose control and hit Patel.
The early-morning crash and the second crash together involved multiple vehicles and had northbound lanes blocked north of exit 96 for Bridge Road from 4:23 a.m. until about 11:30 a.m., according to the Florida Department of Transportation.
Heavy traffic delays persisted all morning.
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