Confronted by a stray driver traveling the wrong way on the interstate, a sheriff’s deputy in Colorado put his life on the line by placing his cruiser between the reckless motorist and the rest of the traffic on the highway.
The subsequent collision likely saved lives.
The Adams County Sheriff’s Office first received a call from Colorado State Patrol around 11 p.m. on Tuesday, April 12. They were informed of a vehicle headed westbound in the eastbound lanes of the I-70, at mile marker 328, the sheriff’s office stated.
Deputies headed to the scene and were able to stop eastbound traffic at mile marker 310 in hopes of preventing a crash.
Positioning himself between the dozen or so stopped vehicles and the wayward driver traveling at high speeds, one deputy “bravely put himself and his vehicle in harms way,” stated the sheriff’s office, and allowed himself to be struck in order to protect the other motorists.
The officer and the driver collided. The impact sent both vehicles careening more than 140 feet and into the front of a parked semi-truck. Neither the deputy, the driver, nor anyone else on the interstate suffered any major injuries, the sheriff’s office stated.
Both the officer and the wayward motorist received precautionary medical attention.
The sheriff’s office posted photos from the scene to their Facebook page, showing the wrecked vehicles having sustained considerable damage from the collision, and lauded their deputy for his selfless act.
“We are thankful that the only casualties were the vehicles involved,” Adams County Sheriff’s Office captioned. “There is no doubt that without the deputy’s quick action and bravery several vehicles would have been struck at high speeds and lives would have been lost.”
Facebook users responded in droves, hailing the officer for his courage and praising law enforcement in general.
“Thank you sir for putting yourself in harms way to protect others,” Rebecca Shields commented. “I for one appreciate all our brave men and women in uniform do on a daily basis. So very grateful you were not seriously injured, or anyone else too, and that you made it home safe.”