WPBN: On Monday night, a car struck and killed an Illinois State Police trooper in Will County, close to Channahon.
According to the police, at approximately 9:45 p.m., Trooper Clay Carns, 35, noticed debris in the southbound lanes of Interstate 55 north of Blodgett Road. He activated the emergency lights on his squad car and pulled over on the right shoulder.
He was struck by a passing Chevrolet Silverado after exiting the car to collect the debris. After being transported to Ascension Saint Joseph Hospital in Joliet, Carns was declared deceased.
Several Illinois State Police vehicles with bright lights followed a black van that departed the parking area of the Will County Coroner’s office in Joliet on Tuesday night. When one department loses one of its own, it usually results in a melancholy parade.
A roadside bouquet honoring a trooper who won’t be home for Christmas was hurried past by holiday traffic on Tuesday.
Trooper Carns, a husband and father to two young children, worked for ISP for eleven years. Shortly before Christmas, he was murdered.
“Any time we lose a trooper hurts, but today is Christmas Eve here on December 24, so it kind of hurts in a particular way,” ISP Director Brendan Kelly stated. “Please remember when you are in your home, peacefully, safely enjoying your family tonight and tomorrow morning, Christmas Day, that’s not a coincidence. That’s not just some Christmas miracle. It’s possible because a police officer made it possible.”
According to ISP, John Fleet, 69, of Wilmington, was charged with breaking Scott’s Law, which states that when a car approaches an emergency vehicle or another vehicle with its hazard or emergency lights on, it is required that vehicles slow down and move over. For a first offense, violators may be fined $250 to $10,000.
Fleet may also face a six-month to two-year suspension of his driver’s license. Fleet was also given numerous driving citations, according to the police.
According to police, state troopers have been involved in at least 26 crashes due to Scott’s Law so far this year, resulting in 12 trooper injuries and one trooper death.
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State police have reported 135 Scott’s Law collisions since 2019, including 27 this year. In the last five years, Trooper Carns is the third ISP trooper to be slain for violating Scott’s Law.
Christmas Eve wakes to the terrible absence of ISP Trooper Clay M. Carns. Trooper Carns was struck & killed last night while removing debris from SB I-55 near Channahon. Trooper Carns, 35, was an 11 year veteran of the ISP & leaves a wife & 2 children. https://t.co/vhbRxCdj7J pic.twitter.com/YHI1maY3of
— Kris Habermehl (@KrisHabermehl) December 24, 2024
“I want people to know when they see that notification pop up, that’s more than just a little icon,” Kelly stated. “That icon is a person, a trooper who is has dedicated his life to keeping you safe, and it’s your opportunity to help keep them safe.”
The statute honors CFD Lieutenant Scott Gillen, who was murdered by an intoxicated driver in 2000 while responding to a collision site on the Dan Ryan Expressway.
“Slow down and move over,” Kelly stated. We keep saying it. We keep saying it. We can’t say it enough.”
