BILLINGS, MT : WHP trooper, K-9 injured in two-vehicle crash on Wednesday, December 7th 2016

A happy ending for a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper and his K-9. Both are recovering after a crash Wednesday night.

Hunter and another trooper were involved in a crash on U.S. Highway 89 north of Afton around 6 p.m. Wednesday. Sgt. David Wagener said Trooper Scott Neilson was making a U-turn to help a driver whose car had broken down when the patrol car collided with a pickup truck.

After the crash, Hunter escaped the patrol car and ran from the scene. Troopers eventually found Hunter after tracking him in the snow for several miles in -15 degree temperatures.

Hunter was taken to the Carter Animal Hospital in Thayne and received a clean bill of health. Trooper Neilson and the driver of the pickup were taken to a hospital in Afton. Trooper Neilson was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the pickup was treated and released.

Sgt. Wagener said several law enforcement agencies helped search for Hunter, along with a very large community response thanks to a community Facebook alert. Sgt. Wagener said the WHP cannot express enough gratitude for the community response and assistance in taking care of Trooper Neilson and the driver of the pickup, as well as helping locate Hunter.

"This event is yet another example of the high level of quality our Wyoming citizens possess from the support that was provided to our K-9 Team last night," WHP Colonel Kebin Haller said. "This couldn't have ended any better."

Source :
WHP trooper, K-9 injured in two-vehicle crash