MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A Florida Highway Patrol trooper was severely injured in head-on crash authorities say was caused by a drunk driver Sunday near Sarasota.
The scary incident was captured on the trooper’s dashcam video.
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Police identified the driver as Kristen Kay Watts, 52. FHP told WTSP.com that the driver began driving through traffic cones and around barricades around 9 a.m.
Watts, according to authorities, drove along the northbound lanes of Interstate 275, which had been shut down for a race, making her way through the closed toll plaza.
Watts eventually crashed almost head-on with the FHP SUV.
The injured trooper, who was not identified, has been with FHP for 26 years.
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Video from the area shows extensive damage to both vehicles.
Both Watts and the trooper were rushed to a local hospital to be treated for serious injuries.
The 47-year-old injured trooper, who is from Tampa, has been with FHP for 26 years. The other trooper who tried to stop the BMW was a 43-year-old veteran sergeant.
Watts was arrested and charged with DUI involving serious injury.
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Her bond was set at $52,000.
