HATFIELD, MASS. (WHDH) - A Massachusetts state trooper was taken to the hospital after hitting a deer with his cruiser while responding to a call on I-91 in Hatfield early Friday.
The officer was headed to a report of a disabled vehicle at around 1:30 a.m. when a deer reportedly ran in front of the cruiser. The officer swerved to avoid the animal, striking and going over a guardrail in the process.
A second trooper saw the crash and pulled the trooper out of the vehicle, which caught fire.
Fire crews from Hatfield and Northampton responded to put out the fire and offer medical assistance.
The 28-year-old trooper, whose name was not released, was taken to Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton and later transferred to Bay State Medical Center in Springfield.
Troopers briefly closed the highway’s northbound side. It reopened at around 4:45 a.m.
The deer may have been struck in the incident but was apparently able to run away.
There is no word on the condition of the trooper.
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