An Illinois truck driver is suspected of being under the influence of prescription pills when he struck a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper parked along the interstate shoulder in Campbell County, then fled the scene, authorities said.
Stewart G. Snedeker, 59, of Chrisman, Ill., remained jailed in lieu of $17,000 bond Monday on charges that include DUI and vehicular assault, according to Campbell County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Aaron Evans.
The trucker allegedly slammed into the driver's side of THP Trooper Joe Lindsay's patrol cruiser as he sat with his warning lights flashing at the scene of an earlier semi-truck crash near mile marker 152 on Interstate 75 South, according to Dalya Qualls, Tennessee Department of Safety spokeswoman. The tractor-trailer also struck a tow truck.
The crash, reported just after 1:30 a.m. Sunday, left Lindsay with a fractured vertebrae in his neck, a fractured rib and injuries to his arm. He was treated and released Sunday evening from the University of Tennessee Medical Center.
Campbell County sheriff's deputies spotted Snedeker's damaged rig a short time later at a service station off exit 141, Evans said. The driver is believed to have been on an unspecified type of prescription pills, the chief deputy said. Deputies also allegedly discovered syringes during a search of the truck, he added.
Qualls said Snedeker, who drives for Illinois-based Paris Transport, submitted to a blood test following the crash, although it could take about eight weeks for the toxicology results to be returned.
Snedeker also is charged with leaving the scene of an accident, reckless endangerment, possession of drug paraphernalia, failure to report an accident, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, failure to exercise due care and operating a commercial vehicle while being out of service.
He is set for arraignment in Campbell County General Sessions Court on the 28th of June.
