A Massachusetts State Trooper was seriously hurt during a crash involving an alleged drunk driver while on vacation in Utah, according to officials.
Trooper Matthew McRae is still in the intensive care unit at University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City, after the crash that happened at around 1 a.m. on Friday.
Trooper McRae was in a rideshare car with another passenger, when a Mini Cooper crashed into it on 600 South, resulting in injuries to all three people inside, according to the Salt Lake City Police Department.
The driver of the Mini Cooper — identified as Liam Kavanagh — was also hurt, and police said that the 19-year-old was under the influence of alcohol. He was arrested and is now facing charges, including a felony county of DUI. A 19-year-old passenger with Kavanagh is also facing charges, including a misdemeanor count of failure to disclose identity.
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In a statement, Mass. State Police Colonel John Mawn said that McRae's family is with him at the Utah Hospital, and said a member of the State Police Association of Massachusetts (SPAM) was there too. SPAM is working to support the trooper and his family.
"The sad irony of this tragic situation is not lost one anyone who knows Trooper McRae," Col. Mawn wrote. "A graduate of the 85th Recruit Training Troop currently assigned to the State Police-Belchertown Barracks, as well as a former local police officer, he has dedicated his life to protecting others and making the Commonwealth’s roads safer."
It wasn't immediately clear if Kavanagh has an attorney who could speak to the allegations he faces.
