LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – A South Carolina state trooper was hit by a vehicle during a traffic stop Tuesday morning in Lexington County, the third to be hit in less than a month.

According to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, Master Trooper Wayne LaBounty was airlifted to the hospital in serious condition.

CBS affiliate WLTX reported that the crash happened on Highway 1 between Lost Branch Road and Calks Ferry Road around 7 a.m.

They reported that a Lexington County Sheriff’s Department vehicle was also hit in the crash.

LaBounty, a 40-year law enforcement veteran, is the third trooper with the South Carolina Highway Patrol to be injured or killed since August.

Trooper Dennis Ricks died after being hit during a traffic stop on Interstate 26 in Orangeburg County on August 13.

Senior Trooper Mitchell Williams Jr. was hit by a vehicle on Sunday while assisting with a traffic stop on Interstate 77 in Richland County. He is recovering from his injuries at home, according to the Department of Public Safety.