Trooper victim of safety campaign accident

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Aug. 31 (UPI) -- A Florida trooper was hospitalized after a sports utility vehicle sideswiped his cruiser shortly after he was in a safety campaign to prevent such accidents.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Tuesday that Trooper John Baker had been writing a report along Interstate 95 in his patrol car with the emergency lights flashing when a SUV veered and sideswiped the cruiser.

"It's an eye-opener, because if I had gotten out of the car at the time this guy veered off the road, I would've been most likely severely injured or killed," said Baker, who suffered a bump on his head, sore muscles and injuries from shattered glass.

Baker and his 9-year-old daughter, Kaitlyn, appeared at a news conference in July to highlight the state's "Move Over" law that requires drivers to move into other lanes or slow down when approaching emergency vehicles that are stopped on or along highways.