By Shambhavi Rimal
Source Fort Worth Star-Telegram
A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper was critically injured when he was hit by a car Monday morning on Dallas North Tollway, and the driver has been arrested, authorities said.
DPS officials confirmed that Texas Highway Patrol Trooper Austin Parrott was injured after he responded to a single-vehicle crash around 12:40 a.m. Dec 16 in the northbound lanes of the Dallas North Tollway near Keller Springs Road.
Parrott was struck from behind by a Mini Cooper while he was helping to direct traffic at the scene of the previous crash, according to DPS. Emergency medical personnel performed CPR on the trooper, and he was taken to Plano Presbyterian Hospital, the department said in a news release.
Parrott sustained severe head trauma and as of Monday afternoon he was in the ICU, listed in stable but critical condition, DPS officials in an update.
The Mini Cooper also hit a bystander, identified as a private security guard who had stopped to help the trooper, DPS officials said. The bystander also was taken to Plano Presbyterian and released after being treated for minor injuries.
The driver of the Mini Cooper had minor injuries and was taken to a hospital, DPS Sgt. Josue “Tony” De La Cerda said at a news conference Monday morning.
Authorities later identified the driver as 20-year-old Talha Noaman. He has been arrested on a charge of possession of a controlled substance and was booked into the Collin County Jail.
The cause of crash remains under investigation. Authorities have said they don’t believe that alcohol was a factor.
The trooper had activated his emergency lights and was standing on the shoulder of the highway outside his vehicle when he was struck, authorities said.
Weather is believed to have been a factor in the single-vehicle crash that the trooper was responding to, which involved a Toyota Camry, authorities said. The driver of the Camry reportedly was not seriously injured.
All northbound lanes of the tollway remained closed at Keller Springs Road while the investigation continued.
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