An Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper who was hit by a vehicle late Wednesday night was continuing to show signs of improvement on Friday afternoon.

Trooper Brent E. Hill, 26, remained in critical condition but was stable after undergoing surgery on his leg on Thursday at Miami Valley Hospital, according to Lt. Anne Ralston, spokesperson for the OSHP.

Hill’s vitals are stable and he is expected to have at least one more surgery on his leg, Ralston said. He was taken off a ventilator sometime between Thursday afternoon and early Friday morning.

Hill suffered head trauma and extensive injuries to his leg when he was hit by a car driven by Andrew T. Combs, 22, of Vandalia, while investigating another crash on northbound Interstate 75 near milepost 36.

Hill’s family and fellow troopers continue to be present at the hospital, Ralston said.

Ralston said there are no updates on the investigation and no charges have been filed against Combs.

“Obviously, the investigation is ongoing,” Ralston said. “Our investigators are working on it and moving forward.”

Hill graduated from the 153rd OSHP academy class on Feb. 8 and started at the Lebanon post on Feb. 11, where he was paired with his training officer, Trooper Mike Steele, 48. Hill is a 2005 graduate of Franklin High School.

Steele was with Hill investigating the initial crash.

Just after 11 p.m. on Wednesday, Hill and Steele responded to a one-vehicle crash on northbound Interstate 75 between Ohio 122 and Ohio 123. Victoria L. Zaagman, 20, of West Chester Twp. lost control of her 2001 Dodge Neon. Her vehicle went off the left side of the roadway and struck the concrete median wall.

Zaagman and her passenger, Hanna J. Cox, 19, also of West Chester Twp., were not injured, and the vehicle sustained disabling damage. Zaagman’s blood alcohol content was .049. She was arrested for failure to maintain reasonable control and for operating a vehicle after underage consumption.

Hill was out of the police cruiser investigating when a 1996 Buick Riviera driven by Combs slid on the snowy roadway. The Riviera went off the left side of the roadway, sideswiped the trooper’s patrol car, and struck Hill and Zaagman’s Neon.

No other injuries were reported.

Ralston said Thursday there were no indications that alcohol was a factor in Combs’ crash. Combs was cooperative with investigators, and he was released, pending further investigation.

Hill was transported to Atrium Medical Center in Middletown, then transferred to Miami Valley’s Trauma Center.

Northbound I-75 was closed for nearly five hours due to the accidents.