Trooper: Drunken driver hit cruiser in construction zone

ORLANDO, Fla. – Authorities say a suspected drunken driver rear-ended a Florida Highway Patrol trooper’s cruiser in a construction zone on an Orlando highway.

Sgt. Kim Montes said in a news release that 32-year-old Trooper Tarik Dalhy was parked in the closed lane of the highway with his cruiser lights on early Tuesday morning to alert drivers of the construction zone.

Montes says 25-year-old Jetzel Jadiel Ortiz Freytes plowed through several traffic cones before rear-ending the cruiser. Dalhy had to kick the door open to get out of the vehicle. Montes says Dalhy is being treated for a bruised lung.

An arrest affidavit says Ortiz Freytes had bloodshot eyes, smelled like alcohol and failed a field sobriety test. He was arrested on a DUI charge. Jail records don’t list an attorney for him.