Officer rear-ended on I-20 expected to make full recovery
A DeKalb County police officer is expected to make a full recovery after he was rear-ended Thursday while he was stopped on I-20.
Yosef C. Raskin received minor injuries and was taken to a hospital, DeKalb police spokeswoman Michaela Vincent said. The other driver involved, who has not been identified, declined medical treatment at the scene.
The crash shut down the westbound lanes of I-20 for nearly two hours, causing major delays back to I-285 during the lunch hour, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center. During the investigation, traffic was getting by only on a left shoulder.
Authorities cleared the wrecked vehicles and reopened the interstate just before 1 p.m.
Aerial footage from the scene showed an SUV flipped on its side. The officer’s cruiser sustained major damage, with the rear of the vehicle smashed into the back seat.
Charges for the driver of the SUV will be determined when the investigation is closed, Vincent said.
Georgia has a "move-over" law that requires drivers to move over a lane to give space to police, EMS crews, Georgia Department of Transportation crews and other emergency personnel. If drivers are unable to get over, the law requires that they slow down to a reasonable speed.
About the Authors
Asia Simone Burns is a watchdog reporter for the AJC. Burns was formerly an intern in AJC’s newsroom and now writes about crime. She is a graduate of Samford University and has previously reported for NPR and WABE, Atlanta’s NPR member station.
