A Washington State Patrol trooper was struck by a vehicle and injured Sunday morning while helping a motorist on Highway 512 in Pierce County, the agency reported.
The trooper, whose name was not released, was being evaluated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to a Washington State Patrol post on X.
The road was blocked in the morning while officials investigated the incident, which occurred around 7 a.m. on westbound Highway 512 near Canyon Road.
It's the fifth time in less than a week that a state trooper has been struck by a vehicle.
Around 7:20 p.m. Friday, Trooper Tara-Marysa Guting, 29, was killed while standing outside her patrol car investigating a two-vehicle collision on southbound Highway 509 near milepost 2 in Tacoma. The driver who initially hit Guting stayed at the scene and has cooperated with investigators.
However, police announced Sunday they were looking for a second vehicle, a dark pickup, which they believe struck her again in the right lane, then continued south on Highway 509. Tips can be directed to 1-800-222-TIPS.
Another trooper was injured Friday on Snoqualmie Pass when his vehicle was struck by a semi while at the scene of an earlier collision on eastbound I-90 near the summit, the State Patrol reported.
On Thursday, a trooper was hospitalized with minor injuries after their vehicle was struck from behind on westbound I-90 near milepost 75, according to a State Patrol post.
Also on Thursday, a state trooper was trapped his car and injured in a collision near 112th Street South and Steele Street South in Tacoma after a woman who was texting while driving crossed the center lane, the Tacoma Police Department reported in a social media post.
In the most recent crash, on Sunday, the injured trooper was helping clear a disabled vehicle blocking the road when he was struck. Agency officials said the driver causing the accident was not impaired but was not paying attention."
The recent crashes have been a stark reminder of the risks state troopers face.
"Our troopers put themselves in harm's way to protect our communities every day," Gov. Bob Ferguson wrote on social media Sunday. "Please make sure you're taking care on the road. If you see flashing lights, be cautious, slow down, and move over if you can safely do so."
Guting, the 34th trooper lost in the line of duty, had been with the Patrol since January 2024. Her husband, Timothy, is a deputy state fire marshal at the state Fire Training Academy.
A memorial service will be held for Guting, but the State Patrol didn't have any details to share about the service, said Trooper Rick Johnson, a State Patrol spokesperson who oversees District 2, which covers King County.
Of the 34 troopers who have died in the line of duty, 24 of the deaths resulted from traffic accidents, and at least nine of those came from being struck on or near the side of the road, according to the state patrol website.
"That's the most dangerous part of our job," Johnson said. "When we're on the freeways and people aren't paying attention, or we have impaired drivers, it's a dangerous place to be."
Johnson has seen that first hand. In his first year out of the Washington State Patrol Academy, in 1991: "I was struck twice, sitting on the shoulder with my lights, on I-5."
Johnson said the risks are especially high at roadside incidents because troopers must simultaneously focus on the stopped vehicle and on traffic.
"If we stop a vehicle, we don't know what's going on in the vehicle, so we're trying to pay attention to that and the (oncoming) traffic," he said.
"So we just want to really stress to people: Slow down. Don't be distracted.
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