News : Vinton trooper injured when vehicle hits patrol vehicle

Trooper Brad Bartz of Vinton sustained minor injuries when another car hit his parked patrol vehicle Sunday The dash cam video tells the story: Iowa State Patrol Trooper Brad Bartz is shown sitting in his squad vehicle, a Ford Explorer, doing the routine things an officer does while assisting a motorist who has become stuck in the ditch and is awaiting a tow truck. The pickup's driver reported that he lost control while passing a semi that had slowed down because of the snowy, slushy road conditions. Then you hear it. A car coming behind Bartz's vehicle; Bartz realizes the car is about to hit him, and barely has time to brace as he lets out a shout of "Oh." Then we see the trooper lurch in his seat from the force of the highway-speed impact. Then he calmly looks over to see that the vehicle that struck him has come to rest in the ditch on the other side of the highway. Then, he calmly reaches for his radio to report that his vehicle has been hit. Like he did the last time he was hit by another vehicle while stopped on the shoulder. And the time before that. And the time before that. Bartz, of Vinton, was hospitalized with minor injuries after his patrol vehicle was hit, for the fourth time in his career, from behind on 380 near Brandon on Sunday morning. According to the Iowa State Patrol, Bartz, of Vinton, had pulled to the inside shoulder of the left lane of southbound 380, to assist the driver of a pickup that had slid into the median. A 2006 Toyota Camry driven by Brittany Anderson, 22, 0f Charles City, collided with the back left side of Bartz's 2015 Ford Explorer, then careened across both lanes of traffic, ending up in the ditch beyond the right shoulder. Bartz, who was taken to the hospital, said he is OK, despite suffering a neck injury, and has a "stiff and sore back." The Trooper has survived three similar incidents already in his ISP career. "This is the fourth time," he said. "It's getting old." Bartz said he feels like a "magnet" for drivers who are not paying attention or driving as conditions dictate. He reminds drivers that slowing down in snowy conditions is the key to safely reaching your destination.