Police remind motorists about Move Over Law after officer's cruiser struck by car

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - Police in DeKalb County took to Twitter on Thursday to tell a cautionary tale about Georgia’s Move Over Law after a patrol car sitting on the side of a busy highway was struck by another car.

Officer Yosef C. Raskin was shaken up more than injured after a car slammed into his parked patrol car along Interstate 20 west in between Candler and Flat Shoals roads around 11 a.m., police said. The officer was sitting in the driver’s seat of his cruiser, finishing up paperwork from a previous incident when the car slammed into his. The driver of that car, whose name have not yet been released, will likely be facing charges of failure to maintain lane and Move Over Law charges.

Officer Raskin was taken to the hospital to be treated. He remained in the hospital as of Thursday evening, but is expected to recover from his injuries. The driver of the other vehicle complained of minor injuries, but refused medical treatment at the scene, police said.

The department posted a photo of the smashed up police cruiser. The picture showed massive damage to the backend of the car all the way up to the backseat passenger seats.

In the tweet, the department wrote:

“Thank you for your concern about our officer involved in a vehicle crash today. Fortunately, the officer received minor to moderate injuries & is recovering at this time. We appreciate the support! #DKPD 💙”

Georgia’s Move Over Law applies to all emergency vehicles parked along the side of the road. Motorists are required to move over, leaving one lane between the emergency vehicle and traffic, if possible. If not, vehicles in the lane immediately adjacent to the emergency vehicle should slow down to a speed where the vehicles could stop immediately.