Federal investigators are in Jefferson City today looking at the patrol car in which Trooper Michael Newton lost his life last May 22nd. Newton was killed after his Ford Crown Victoria burst into flames after being struck from behind by another car that drifted off Interstate 70 and hit Newton’s patrol car as he was writing another motorist a ticket. Tim Hurd, a spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, says investigators will look at every inch of the car to try to figure out what went wrong. Some lawsuits against Ford are pending andmore could follow depending on the outcome of the investigation. A Highway Patrol spokesman says his agency requested the federal investigation to make sure it was done right without any bias.
