Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office out of Colorado has shared dashcam footage of a collision between a motorist and a sergeant’s parked patrol SUV. It’s a scary reminder that even with emergency lights activated, some people will still plow right into a vehicle.
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According to the sheriff’s office, Sergeant Cole Britton was helping another motorist whose car had broken down in the lane of travel on a rural highway. That’s a scary situation considering even cop cars get hit sitting in lanes of travel, which is why the sergeant parked well behind the disable d vehicle and activated his emergency lights.
Sure enough, someone else came barreling at the large police SUV. Sergeant Britton spotted the inevitable collision, allowing him and the other motorist to run out of harm’s way. The collision thankfully didn’t send the sheriff’s vehicle into the disabled car, but it did obliterate the back end.
What’s worse, the driver who hit Sergeant Britton’s SUV was badly injured in the crash. That unidentified individual was transported to the hospital.
It’s scary how often emergency vehicles with their strobe lights activated are hit by drivers. One would think the flashing lights and livery indicating a first responder’s ride would help people slow down and avoid a collision, but sometimes it seems just the opposite happens.
Exactly why the driver hit Sergeant Britton’s patrol car isn’t clear. An investigation is ongoing, so perhaps answers will be coming.
We know many will automatically assume this was a case of intoxicated driving. That’s possible but impossible to know for sure. It’s also possible the driver suffered a medical episode while behind the wheel.
Distracted driving could also be at fault. Too many people are fiddling with their phone or whatever else while they’re supposed to be driving.
There’s also the chance this was a case of target fixation. People stare so hard at emergency vehicles with their lights activated, probably out of sheer anxiety, that they end up driving right into them.
Images via Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook
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