GoFundMe raises over $80,000 for family of Illinois State Trooper killed in

WILL COUNTY, Ill. – A GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $80,000 for the family of Illinois State Trooper Clay Carns, who was struck and killed in a crash on Monday while working on I-55 in Will County.

The incident occurred just before 10 p.m. as the 35-year-old trooper, a married father of two young children, was removing debris from the southbound lanes of I-55 near Channahon. Carns was hit by a passing vehicle and was taken to St. Joseph Hospital in Joliet, where he died about an hour later.

“Trooper Carns’ joy was in his little family. His wife Meghan was truly the love of his life. He took great delight in raising his children. He loved taking his children on adventures and making projects with them,” the GoFundMe page reads.

As of Friday morning, the campaign had raised nearly $82,000 to support the family.

The driver of the vehicle that struck Carns has been identified as 69-year-old John Fleet of Wilmington. Fleet was arrested and charged with a felony for violating Scott’s Law, also known as the “Move Over” law, which requires drivers to slow down or move over when emergency vehicles are on the side of the road.

The Illinois State Police say so far this year there have been 26 Scott’s Law-related crashes in Illinois, causing 12 injuries and now one death to troopers. That’s up from last year, when 21 crashes injured seven troopers.

On January 1, changes to Scott’s Law go into effect that extend it beyond law enforcement. Scott’s Law will also now apply to construction zones to hopefully increase safety for construction workers.

Scott’s Law violations

The crash was just the latest in an alarming number of instances in which the state’s Scott’s Law or Move-Over Law was violated on highways.

Recent crash reports paint a grim picture:

December 15, I-55, DuPage County: A trooper narrowly escaped disaster when a car slammed into their squad during an investigation. The driver was cited.
November 5, I-94: A speeding car hit a squad car at an accident site, injuring the trooper. The driver was arrested for DUI, cannabis possession, and multiple traffic violations.
October 29, Will County: A drunk driver crashed into a parked squad car while a trooper handled a crash. Fortunately, the trooper was outside. The driver was arrested for DUI and cited for violating Scott’s Law.

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