Injured trooper’s story is warning

State Patrol trooper Mark Pederson was on the prowl for drunken drivers.

“Unfortunately, the drunk found me,” he said.

Peterson had stopped a speeder along northbound I-5 near Everett Mall when a man swerved and hit Pederson’s empty patrol car. The patrol car slammed into the trooper, throwing him against a guardrail and into a ditch.

Pederson survived the 2002 accident, but it ended his 19-year career with the patrol.

The fourth annual “Surround the Sound” police patrol will be dedicated to Pederson and others injured or killed by impaired drivers. Today and Sunday, Snohomish County law enforcement officers will join police in 10 other counties to stop impaired drivers.

Last year, the patrol resulted in 124 people being charged with driving under the influence, 20 of them in Snohomish County, said Tracy McMillan, the county’s DUI Task Force coordinator.

This weekend, officers will hand out fliers about Pederson’s story to anyone they stop during the patrol.

“I’m truly honored,” Pederson said. “I do feel a tremendous amount of sadness to be involved in this capacity.”

Pederson, 47, couldn’t go back to patrol duty, and his injuries made it impossible even to have a desk job. These days, Pederson works part-time helping people with disabilities find and maintain jobs.

He said he would like to be out on the road again with fellow officers, snagging impaired drivers. Pederson used to participate in the special patrols. It made him feel good about his job, he said.

“Some of the people I stopped were able to get treatment and turn their lives around,” he said.

Pederson has forgiven the man who hit him, he said. The man, who was convicted of vehicular assault, underwent treatment.

“I know I’m one of the fortunate ones. I’ve been able to go on with my life,” he said. “I want people to know that you can change your life and the life of someone else in a few seconds.

“Don’t drink and drive,” he said.

Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@ heraldnet.com.