Madison Cawthorn Crashes Into Florida State Trooper's Car—Video

Former congressman Madison Cawthorn reportedly crashed his vehicle into a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) cruiser on Monday.

Alethea Shapiro shared on X, formerly Twitter, that she was driving on I-75 toward Miami at around 4:30 p.m. when a black sports car began tailgating her.

"I ignored it, assuming the person would go around me if they were so impatient," she told Newsweek. "When they didn't I just decided to change lanes so I didn't have to stress it."

Minutes later, when traffic came to a standstill, she realized that the same vehicle seemed to have rear-ended an FHP cruiser.

"Suddenly the car door opens and a man in a wheelchair rolls out," Shapiro wrote on X.

"I couldn't believe my eyes. It occurred to me that former CONGRESSMAN CAWTHORNE from NC was the black CAR that stormed by me in an angry road rage tantrum.

Alongside the post, Shapiro shared a video that was also posted on TikTok that showed Cawthorn in his wheelchair on the shoulder of the highway.

The video showed a black vehicle with significant damage to its front end as well as the FHP cruiser with apparent damage to its rear.

Cawthorn looked shaken up, Shapiro said.

"I could see him mouth 'I am so sorry' a few times," she said.

She said she pulled over and spoke to the trooper.

"I informed him of who the driver was and he confirmed it. I asked several times if he was sure he was OK and if he wanted me to stay and he said he was fine and thanked me for stopping," she said. "He asked if I witnessed the accident and I told him I did not but that I must have been 30 seconds behind. As I sat there processing it, it hit me... I think that's the same black car that was behind me."

Even if it was not the same vehicle, she said "the story doesn't change. He rear-ended a state trooper in a construction zone."

The scene was "very uncomfortable to witness and I felt badly for both the men, [but] luckily they were relatively unscathed."

FHP spokesman Greg Bueno confirmed to Newsweek in an email that an FHP vehicle was rear-ended by a Mercedes driven by a 28-year-old man from Cape Coral.

"On April 15, 2024, at 16:30 hours, an FHP State Trooper vehicle was rear-ended on Interstate 75, at mile marker 60, in a construction zone, in Collier County, by a 2021 Mercedes, driven by a 28-year-old male of Cape Coral," Bueno said.

Public records show Cawthorn lives in Cape Coral, according to the Miami New Times.

"The State Trooper sustained minor injuries and was transported to an area hospital," Bueno said. "The crash remains under investigation."

Newsweek has contacted Cawthorn for comment via social media.

Cawthorn came to national prominence after winning the race to be the representative for North Carolina's 11th Congressional District at the age of 25 in 2020. He lost his re-election bid in the 2022 Republican primary.

In the months leading up to the primary, he was stopped by police three times for driving offenses. He was cited for speeding during two of those stops and charged with driving with a revoked license in the other.

Cawthorn uses a wheelchair after being partially paralyzed in a car accident where he was a passenger when he was 18.

Update 4/16/24, 3:50 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to add additional information.

Update 4/16/24, 6:03 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to add comment from Alethea Shapiro.

Update 4/16/24, 9:25 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to add comment from Greg Bueno.