Driver Crashes Into Patrol Car on Tenn. Highway — Then Claims He Was Distracted by Reading a Prescription

A Tennessee driver was allegedly reading a prescription when he struck a stationary patrol car on the side of the road Monday, April 21.

The incident occurred while a patrol officer was helping another officer during a traffic stop on Interstate 40 West.

According to the Mt. Juliet police, both police vehicles were “positioned well off the roadway on the right shoulder with all emergency warning lights activated,” the department wrote on X.

Police said the motorist, who authorities have not named, entered the highway from an onramp and drove along the shoulder for almost a quarter mile on “rumble strips and uneven pavement before striking the rear right side of the patrol car.”

Nobody was in the patrol car at the time of the crash.

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The driver, who was uninjured, told officers that “he was distracted because he was reading a prescription,” police wrote on X.

He was cited by the Tennessee Highway Patrol for failure to exercise due care and driving without insurance.

“This incident is another reminder of the risks our officers face every day and the importance of staying alert behind the wheel and keeping your eyes on the road,” the Mt. Juliet police said.