Joel Burgess
Asheville Citizen Times
April 16, 2024
Controversial ex-Western North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorn struck a Florida Highway Patrol car, injuring a trooper April 15, according to the highway patrol and a witness who posted video and still photos on social media.
The highway patrol did not confirm the driver was Cawthorn. But spokesperson Lt. Jim Beauford said the 2021 Mercedes that rear-ended a patrol car, a Dodge Charger, at 4:30 p.m. on Interstate 75 in Collier County was driven by a 28-year-old male from Cape Coral, Florida. Cawthorn is 28 and moved from Henderson County to Cape Coral after losing his 2022 reelection bid. A crash report is not yet available Beauford said April 16.
The trooper was transported to an area hospital with minor injuries, Beauford said. The driver was cited with violating Florida's Move Over Law, which requires motorists to slow down and move over a lane when approaching a law enforcement vehicle parked on a highway shoulder.
The Citizen Times reached out to Cawthorn.
A person posting on X (formerly Twitter) said the Mercedes had been "erratically & aggressively driving behind" her before she moved out of the left lane to let it pass. X user Alethea, with the handle @Women2Dc, said she then saw the wrecked vehicle and Cawthorn in a wheelchair on the side of the road. She posted pictures and video with the person who appeared to be Cawthorn.