Photo: CBS12.com
In what could best be described as being at the wrong place at the wrong time, one Florida State trooper was hit by an out of control vehicle while speaking to the victim of another car crash.
Footage of the incident was captured and shared online by CBS12, with Corporal Kurt Blanc of Tequesta Police Department stressing that this is just one of the dangers of their daily job. You can also see the footage at the bottom of the page.
According to the same media outlet, 31-year-old Mithil Patel, the trooper in question, had responded to a crash on I-95. Right before he was injured, he was talking to the victim in that incident, when he noticed a black Audi was coming their way.
He jumped into action and pushed the other man out of harm’s way, which means he took the full impact himself. Patel was flung into the air and thrown on the ground. Other first responders on the scene of the first crash came to help him and he was eventually rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition. He is, however, expected to survive.
The report notes that the Audi started spinning out of control after being rear-ended by a Chevrolet Express work van. The driver of the Audi was no longer able to control the car and it ended up hitting the trooper before coming to a standstill.
This happens more often than we know or is reported in the press, Blanc says for the publication. And it’s a danger every officer out there knows about.
“It's always in the back of our heads,” Blanc explains. “You turn your back and you don't know what might be coming, but we still have a job to do. We can put a lot of cautions out, but if someone’s not paying attention that’s what could happen.”
He urges drivers to go around the scene of a crash and to reduce the speed.
According to the same media outlet, 31-year-old Mithil Patel, the trooper in question, had responded to a crash on I-95. Right before he was injured, he was talking to the victim in that incident, when he noticed a black Audi was coming their way.
He jumped into action and pushed the other man out of harm’s way, which means he took the full impact himself. Patel was flung into the air and thrown on the ground. Other first responders on the scene of the first crash came to help him and he was eventually rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition. He is, however, expected to survive.
The report notes that the Audi started spinning out of control after being rear-ended by a Chevrolet Express work van. The driver of the Audi was no longer able to control the car and it ended up hitting the trooper before coming to a standstill.
This happens more often than we know or is reported in the press, Blanc says for the publication. And it’s a danger every officer out there knows about.
“It's always in the back of our heads,” Blanc explains. “You turn your back and you don't know what might be coming, but we still have a job to do. We can put a lot of cautions out, but if someone’s not paying attention that’s what could happen.”
He urges drivers to go around the scene of a crash and to reduce the speed.
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