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Caddo Sheriff's Deputy Mark McLaughlin is recovering at University Health today after his patrol car was hit on I-220 this morning, said Sheriff Steve Prator.

McLaughlin, who is a patrol deputy in south Caddo, responded to assist a motorist just after 11 a.m. on I-220 between Lakeshore and Jefferson-Paige. The motorist had pulled over on the eastbound inside shoulder. A Motorist  Assist Patrol (MAP) vehicle was behind the disabled vehicle, and McLaughlin was behind the MAP vehicle. McLaughlin was inside his car with his emergency lights activated when he was struck from behind by an eastbound Yukon. The driver of the Yukon, 39-year-old Jody Hollis of Bossier City,  told authorities she had reached down for her purse when she collided with the patrol car.

McLaughlin was taken by ambulance to University Health where he is still being evaluated. The accident is under investigation by the Caddo Sheriff's Traffic Safety Unit.