TORONTO – An Ohio State Highway Patrol officer is lucky to be alive after a transport truck nearly hit him while he was trying to help a stranded driver.
A viral video posted to YouTube just over a week ago by OSHP shows trooper Stephen Zientek trying to assist motorist Mike Celusta on Interstate-475 in Toledo.
They manage to cheat death seconds after the pair are seen calmly walking towards the officer’s vehicle.
READ MORE: Brutal beating of Ohio state trooper caught on camera
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“Oh, hold on. Look out!” a person can be heard yelling a moment before both individuals hurdle a guard rail and a truck starts a chain reaction of collisions. The semi’s impact forced the police car forward into the rear-end of Celusta’s automobile.
The two could not have come much closer to serious injury, or even death.
“If you see the car and how it was smashed, that would’ve been where I was standing,” Celusta told WTVG. “So I would’ve been maybe paralyzed. I don’t know what the final result would’ve been.”
READ MORE: Incredible footage shows man ejected during highway crash, walks away
Celusta credits Trooper Zientek for saving his life but the officer doesn’t consider himself a hero. In fact, he can scarcely believe the incident even happened.
“Days after that, all I think about is that I still cannot believe there still was not more serious injuries … that everybody walked away,” says Zientek in an ABC report.
According to WTVG, the driver of the truck was cited for failure to maintain a sure, clear distance.
The event was shared on social media to remind motorists of Ohio’s ‘move over’ law and to do their part in keeping everyone safe.
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