HollyMatkinSalt Lake City, UT – A Utah highway patrolman was severely injured on Sunday evening, when a passing vehicle slid on an icy roadway, and slammed into him as he was walking towards a stranded motorist (video below).
The harrowing incident was captured by Utah Highway Patrol (UHP) Sergeant Cade Brenchley’s dashcam.
The video showed the dire road conditions in Sardine Canyon as Sgt. Brenchley responded to reports of multiple vehicles sliding off of the interstate, KUTV reported.
Clad in a yellow reflective vest, the second-generation trooper exited his patrol vehicle, and began walking on the shoulder of the roadway towards a white car that had slid off the road.
In an instant, a black vehicle raced into the frame, and collided with the trooper from behind.
The impact launched Sgt. Brenchley high into the air, and sent his body crashing town on top of the white car.
The black vehicle collided with the rear left side of the white car, and pushed the vehicle forward, as the trooper fell from the roof, and landed on the ground on the passenger side of the white vehicle.
The black car continued to skid and spin in the roadway, and rotated 180 degrees.
The driver inside the white car rushed to Sgt. Brenchley’s aid, and numerous other motorists soon followed suit.
“Our department is thankful to the multiple bystanders who came to the aid of Sgt. Brenchley after he was struck,” the Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) said in a news release, according to KUTV. “The dash cam video shows many people on the scene who stopped to offer aid and called for help on his car radio.
“Some of the Cache Valley first responders included three of Sgt. Brenchley’s cousins,” the department added.
Sgt. Brenchley, a 13-year veteran of the force, was rushed to the Logan Regional Hospital with broken ribs and a broken scapula, KUTV reported.
During a press conference on Tuesday, the married father of four begged motorists to slow down, and to move over for emergency vehicles, The Herald Journal reported.
“I am a husband and a father to these kids,” Sgt. Brenchley said, surrounded by his family. “Please give us room. Err on the side of caution, and just give us room.”
Sgt. Brenchley was the 11th trooper to be hit on the roadway in 2018, DPS Communications Director Marissa Cote posted to Twitter on Tuesday. “In 2017, 10 were hit. We have already surpassed last year’s unacceptable number. Please move over and slow down.”
The trooper was expected to be released from the hospital on Tuesday, according to The Herald Journal.
You can watch Sgt. Brenchley’s dashcam footage in the video below: