Man arrested in hitting SC highway patrol trooper. Here’s what we know.

A 23-year-old was arrested and charged with reckless driving Thursday morning after allegedly hitting a South Carolina state trooper earlier this week.

Master Trooper Wayne H. LaBounty was struck after a chain of collisions while performing a traffic stop in Lexington County, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. Jerrod Ricks was arrested and charged in connection to the injury.

LaBounty was transferred to the hospital in serious condition Tuesday, according to a social media post from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety. LaBounty is now in stable condition after surgery, the department posted Wednesday.

Ricks was charged with reckless driving and issued a citation for endangering emergency services personnel Thursday afternoon. He is awaiting a bond hearing at the Lexington County Detention Center, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.

LaBounty was the third South Carolina Highway Patrol trooper to be injured or killed after being struck by a vehicle in the last month.

“We are pleading with the public to slow down, move over for blue lights, and never drive impaired,” the South Carolina Department of Public Safety wrote in a social media post on Tuesday.

Trooper Dennis Ricks died in August after being struck by a vehicle while performing a traffic stop in Orangeburg County. His funeral was held in Columbia. Senior Trooper Mitchell Williams Jr. was injured this past Sunday in the Midlands and is recovering at home, according to the social media post.

The injuries and Ricks’ death prompted state Rep. Mark Smith, R-Berkeley, to suggest strengthening the state’s “Move Over” law during session next year, according to a news release from his campaign to replace U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace.

State law requires drivers slow down and move into another lane if possible when approaching emergency vehicles with flashing lights on the side of the road. Smith’s planned legislation would increase fines for noncompliance, clarify that drivers should slow 20 mph below the speed limit and expand education about the law.

“The fact that three Highway Patrol troopers have been injured or killed in just the last month should alarm every South Carolinian,” Smith said in a statement.