N.Y. Trooper Leaps Over Barrier to Avoid Chain-Reaction Crash

A New York State Police trooper investigating a single-vehicle crash in Tonawanda jumped over a concrete barrier to avoid a chain-reaction collision that slammed into the trooper's parked cruiser.

Source Officer.com News

Joe Vince

July 3, 2026

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A New York State Police trooper avoided injury by jumping over a concrete median barrier moments before a chain-reaction crash struck the trooper's parked cruiser in Tonawanda.
The incident happened while the trooper was investigating a single-vehicle crash when a pickup truck towing a dolly trailer struck another vehicle, sending it into the police cruiser.
The pickup truck driver was arrested on DWI and other charges, while the trooper and driver were not injured.

New York State Police cruiser damaged in chain-reaction crash — A chain-reaction collision caused extensive damage to a New York State Police cruiser Wednesday after a trooper narrowly escaped injury while investigating a previous crash in Tonawanda.

A New York State Police trooper narrowly escaped injury by jumping over a concrete barrier to avoid a chain reaction crash caused by an alleged impaired driver this week.

The incident happened just before 7:30 p.m. Wednesday when the state police responded to a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 90 in Tonawanda, the agency stated in news release. A trooper was outside their cruiser when a 2014 Dodge Ram pickup truck with a dolley trailer struck a car, which crashed into the trooper's parked cruiser.

"Seeing the oncoming collision the Trooper moved from the center of the roadway and hopped over the concrete center barrier into the northbound side of travel to avoid being struck."

The trooper was uninjured in the incident. Photos from the scene showed extensive damage to the cruiser, however.

The pickup truck driver, identified as James R. Phalen, also wasn't hurt. He was arrested for driving while intoxicated and other offenses.

The crash is under investigation.

About the Author

Joe Vince

Joining Endeavor Business Media in 2018, Joe has worked on the company's city services publications. He began working at OFFICER.com as the assistant editor. Before starting at Endeavor, Joe had worked for a variety of print and online news outlets, including the Indianapolis Star, the South Bend Tribune, Reddit and Patch.com.