A Colorado State Patrol cruiser was struck by another vehicle on Interstate 70 during a traffic stop, sending the trooper to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, CSP officials said Saturday morning.
Just before 1 a.m., the trooper tried to initiate a stop near Watkins for a vehicle in the left lane and not passing, the release said.
"The vehicle he contacted stopped in the left lane, so the trooper pulled behind and instructed the driver to move to the shoulder," the release said.
The cruiser was then struck by a Jeep "at a high rate of speed," pushing the trooper's vehicle into the car that had initially been pulled over.
The trooper and two people in the stopped car — a 44-year-old woman and a teenage girl — were taken to the hospital, according to the release. All three have since been released from the hospital and are expected to recover.
The driver of the vehicle that was pulled over, who was driving without a license, has been charged with failing to yield to an emergency vehicle. She has also been cited for violating restrictions on an instruction permit and for having no proof of insurance, according to CSP.
The 47-year-old woman who crashed into the trooper's vehicle is suspected of driving under the influence and faces several charges, according to the release.
The incident prompted a temporary closure of the highway, which reopened just before 6 a.m.
CSP is leading the investigation.