HollyMatkinHugo, MN – A Washington County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) deputy had a brush with death on Jan. 15, when he was nearly struck by a motorist while investigating a motor vehicle crash (video below).
The WCSO released dashcam video of the incident on Monday to remind drivers to reduce speeds, and to move over for emergency vehicles, the Twin Cities Pioneer Press reported.
WCSO Deputy Greg Reiter was on the side of a highway investigating a crash involving a truck and an SUV. The video showed the deputy as he leaned into the open passenger door of the SUV.
But while the deputy’s back was turned, a car zoomed in behind him and struck the rear quarter panel of the SUV, spinning it forty-five degrees.
The impact shoved the open passenger side door into Deputy Reiter, and sent him sailing into the roadway. He landed just behind the car that struck the SUV.
Miraculously, the deputy was uninjured, with the exception of some minor bumps and bruises, WCSO Sergeant Joe Stoehr told KSTP.
“Our deputy was extremely fortunate to walk away from this incident,” WCSO Sheriff Dan Starry told The Gazette. “Please slow down and move over — it is the law.”
The department released the video on social media platforms on Monday.
“With the snow coming, we thought we would share this squad video and remind you to slow down, watch for stopped vehicles and emergency lights,” the WCSO said in a Facebook post.
“Move over if you can. Deputy Reiter responded to the scene of a motor vehicle accident and was attending to the parties involved when the second crash occurred. Luckily, Deputy Reiter was not severely injured, but this could have been much worse,” the post read.
The driver of the car that nearly struck the deputy was cited for driving without a valid license, KTSP reported.
Investigators said that the driver lost control of the car and spun out before it struck the SUV.
Watch Deputy Reiter’s close call on dashcam video below: