A Warren County Sheriff’s Department patrol car was struck by a passing vehicle during a late-night traffic stop Saturday.Deputy Shawn Moritz was conducting the traffic stop on the shoulder of southbound Highway 47 north of Fairgrounds Road at about 11 p.m. Aug. 26, according to a Missouri Highway Patrol preliminary report. The Ford Taurus was hit in the rear by a Mercury Tracer southbound on Highway 47.The driver of the Tracer could not see well because of the active emergency lights on the patrol car, according to the patrol. The right front of the Tracer struck the left rear of the police car.Moritz was taken to St. Joseph Hospital in Lake St. Louis by Warren County Ambulance with minor injuries, the patrol said. The driver of the Tracer, 59-year-old Tammy Mathews of Warrenton, was not reported to have any injuries. She was wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision.Moritz was in his vehicle, “seconds away from stepping out of the car to complete the traffic stop,” Sheriff Kevin Harrison said. “It jolted him pretty good.”The deputy had several days off work, but was scheduled to return to work Wednesday, Harrison said.The Tracer was traveling about 40 mph when it struck the patrol car, Harrison said. The damage to Moritz’s vehicle was enough that the sheriff predicted the car is totaled.fCrash