A Virginia police officer is thankful to be alive after narrowly avoiding being struck by an out-of-control car that careened across multiple lanes of traffic on a highway outside of Washington, D.C., on Monday.
The incident was captured on the officer’s dash camera, and the Fairfax County police released footage of the dramatic close call on Tuesday.
The officer, who has not yet been named by the department, had just pulled over a BMW 7 Series that had been speeding at around 73 m.p.h. (120 km/h) in a 50 m.p.h. (80 km/h) zone, Chief Kevin Davis said in a livestreamed news conference.
Then, a different BMW, a high-performance M3, can be seen in the dash cam footage speeding around a corner in the oncoming lane before spinning out of control and crossing the median, backend-first.
Officials said the M3 was travelling at more than 120 m.p.h. (190 km/h).
The M3 hit the 7 Series that the officer was standing beside. Thankfully, the officer noticed the M3 speeding towards them and managed to run out of the way, though it appears his leg was clipped by the out-of-control car after it hit the 7 Series and then crashed into the patrol vehicle.
“The officer was nearly struck and killed,” reads a press release from the department.
As seen in the video, the officer gets to his feet almost immediately and starts checking on the driver of the parked 7 Series.
“Cool, calm and collected, he hops over that guardrail and immediately gets on the radio,” Davis said.
Three teenagers were in the M3 that careened across multiple lanes. They walked away with minor injuries and the 17-year-old driver has been cited for reckless driving.
The driver of the other BMW was treated for minor injuries not considered to be life-threatening. He has since been released from the hospital. The police officer also sustained only minor injuries.
“The Fairfax County Police Department is relieved that this crash did not result in a tragedy. This is an important reminder that life can change in an instant.”
The department wrote that they released the video so that parents and guardians can use it as “an opportunity to have a conversation with their teen drivers about how their driving behavior can affect the lives of others.”
Davis said the name of the officer will soon be released, but he wants to give him some more time to process the near-death experience.
“It’s quite the story for him to eventually tell,” Davis said. “But right now, he’s just glad to be alive.”
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