Driver charged with striking state trooper on I-57 in Morgan Park

A driver was charged with striking a state trooper Monday morning on Interstate 57 in Morgan Park on the Far South Side.

Dario A. Lopez-Arevalo, 22, was charged with an aggravated Scott’s Law violation after he allegedly struck a state trooper responding to a separate crash, Illinois state police said.

Around 10:20 a.m. Monday, the trooper’s marked squad car was parked on the right shoulder of I-57 northbound near 108th Street with its emergency lights activated while the trooper was standing on the grassy embankment just east of the roadway, state police said.

A black Hyundai going north drove onto the shoulder, striking the trooper and two parked vehicles involved in the separate crash, officials said.

The trooper was hospitalized with "serious" injuries, state police said.

Lopez-Arevalo, of Robbins, was also given citations for not having a valid driver's license, driving an uninsured vehicle and other Illinois Vehicle Code violations.

He was scheduled to appear in court Nov. 12.