State trooper hurt in crash on U.S. 23 in Sylvania

11/16/2013

An Ohio Highway Patrol trooper from the Toledo post was injured when a pickup crashed into a stopped patrol car about midnight in Sylvania.

Jacquelyn Layson, 41, was taken to Toledo Hospital with injuries that were not thought to be life-threatening, according to the patrol.

She was providing traffic control for road construction, in a patrol car stopped, with emergency lights activated, in the right lane of U.S. 23, as Friday night turned to Saturday morning, according to the patrol. 

There were several construction vehicles in front of the patrol car with lighted arrow boards indicating that the right lane was closed and several warning signs south of the construction zone, indicating that the lane was closed and advising drivers to watch for stopped traffic, the patrol reported.

But a northbound pickup pulling a flatbed trailer in the left lane of U.S. 23 failed to maintain an assured clear distance ahead, swerved to the right to avoid striking the stopped traffic, and struck the patrol car in the right rear. The pickup, driven by Jacob B. Armentrout, 21, of Temperance, then went off the right side of the road and struck a guardrail.

The trooper was wearing her seat belt, according to the patrol, as was the pickup driver, who was not injured. He was cited for failing to maintain an assured clear distance ahead.

The right lane of northbound U.S. 23 was closed for about an hour.