SC Highway Patrol trooper injured at accident site

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (AP) — Authorities say a South Carolina Highway Patrol trooper was seriously injured when a vehicle struck his patrol car as he was investigating an accident on Interstate 26.

The state Department of Public Safety said 27-year-old Howard F. James Jr., was in stable condition Friday night in a hospital intensive care unit.

In a news release, Col. Mike Oliver said James was investigating a crash shortly after 5 p.m. in Orangeburg County when a vehicle veered off the road and hit his patrol car which then struck the trooper. He sustained multiple injuries, according to the news release.

James has been with the Highway Patrol since 2010.

State officials referred questions about the accident to the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office. Officials there could not immediately provide any information about the wreck.