A Utah Highway Patrol trooper was recovering in the hospital after being hit by a car on a snowy highway in Sardine Canyon on Sunday, March 25. Sgt. Cade Brenchley suffered broken ribs and a broken scapula, officials said.

The trooper was responding to multiple slide offs when he was struck from behind by a vehicle driving on the main roadway.

Brenchley is the 11th Utah trooper to be hit by a vehicle this year. In 2017, 10 troopers were hit over the course of the entire year. “In only three months, we have unfortunately surpassed that unacceptable number,” the Department of Public Safety said in its press release.

In the press release, officials also thanked bystanders who aided the sergeant after he was struck. The first responders who arrived on scene also included three of Brenchley’s cousins.

The 13-year highway patrol veteran is married and the father of four children and serves as a local soccer coach. He has previously delivered twins on the side of the interstate and helped save a burn victim in a car crash, officials said. He also spearheads the northern Utah public information and education efforts for the department and works with high schools. Credit: Utah Department of Public Safety via Storyful