Video: Suspected DUI driver slams into Virginia trooper’s patrol car

FAIRFAX, Va. - Authorities have released dash cam video showing the moment a suspected impaired driver smashed into a Virginia trooper’s patrol car.

The crash happened early Tuesday morning on Interstate-495 near exit 52 in Fairfax County. Virginia State Police Trooper C. Aziz was out of her patrol car and standing next to a sedan after stopping a driver suspected of being under the influence of drugs.

According to police, Aziz was trying to get the sedan's driver to move over to a safer location on the shoulder when her patrol vehicle was struck by a Jeep Cherokee.

The force of the Jeep pushed her patrol vehicle into the sedan. The impact momentarily knocked Aziz off her feet.

"Trooper C. Aziz, amazingly, didn't end up w/any broken bones, but she still has a long road to recovery," officials posted to X. She was transported to Fairfax INOVA Hospital for evaluation.

READ MORE: Virginia state trooper vehicle hit by drunk driver, during DUI stop

The driver of the sedan was identified as 43-year-old Erica D. Bernard, of Albright, West Virginia. She was still seated inside the vehicle at the time it was struck and was treated for minor injuries. Bernard faces charges of driving under the influence of drugs, obstruction, possession of a schedule I or II substance, refusal of a blood/breath test, and improperly stopping a vehicle on a highway.

The driver of the Jeep Cherokee was identified as 35-year-old Joanna F. Hatch, of Arlington, Virginia. Hatch was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Both Bernard and Hatch were transported to Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.