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Colorado sheriff’s deputy recently put his life on the line to stop a wrong-way driver by using his own patrol vehicle as a bulwark.
According to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a request from the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) about a wrong-way driver headed westbound in the eastbound lanes on the I-70.
Deputies immediately stopped traffic down the road to prevent a head-on crash with civilians as the driver continued to speed toward them.
Realizing that the driver was not going to stop, a deputy positioned his SUV as a barricade to intercept the oncoming car.
“One deputy bravely put himself and his vehicle in harm’s way ahead of the stopped vehicles to intercept the incoming vehicle and allowed himself to be struck so the other vehicles would not be hit,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The collision sent both vehicles skidding over 140 feet, stopping at the front of a semi-truck.
“Thankfully neither the deputy, the driver, nor anyone else on the interstate suffered any major injuries,” the sheriff’s office said.
Photos of the aftermath of the collision were shared by the department, with both cars showing major damage.
The agency said that following the crash, medics attended to both the deputy and the wrong-way driver as a precaution. According to the CSP, the driver was an 83-year-old man. Both he and the 26-year-old deputy were transported to UCHealth for a medical evaluation.
“We are thankful that the only casualties were the vehicles involved,” the sheriff’s office continued. “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.”
It’s not clear how the driver ended up going the wrong way on the interstate. Police say drugs and alcohol were not involved in the incident.
The man was ultimately cited with careless driving and for driving in the wrong lane.
The incident comes after police in the region have warned of a spate of wrong-way driving incidents in recent months.
