Driver Smashes Into An Oklahoma Highway Patrolman During A Traffic Stop

A trooper with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol narrowly avoided injury, or worse, on January 18 after a collision during a traffic stop on Interstate 40. Trooper Jesse Gregory had pulled over the driver of a Mercury Mariner and was in the middle of conducting the routine stop when a Lexus GX 470 traveling at highway speeds veered into the shoulder and crashed directly into the Mariner.

The New Lexus GX Is Not A Great-Looking Lexus

The force of the impact pushed Trooper Gregory onto the ground and caused the Lexus SUV to rollover at least once. The Mariner, on the other hand, limps forward a few feet with its driver side smashed-in and debris raining outward. In the dash cam footage — originally shared by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and republished by ABC — we can make out the GX 470 tumbling over after it barrels into the rear end of the Mariner while the trooper rolls onto his feet:

Watch: Crash nearly kills Oklahoma State trooper

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol took to social media to share footage of the crash, captioning its Facebook post with a warning and adding the following statement:

This video is difficult to watch. It is the dash camera from last Thursday, January 18, when Trooper Jesse Gregory #362 was struck by a driver on I-40 at Cimarron Road. He was speaking to the driver of his traffic stop when another vehicle ran into them.

We show this video as a graphic reminder of the consequences of distracted or impaired driving and the importance of the slow down, move over law. We are in the middle of a distracted driving emphasis right now in honor of Trooper Nicholas Dees, who lost his life in the line of duty after being struck by a distracted driver.

Luckily, Trooper Gregory is expected to be ok. In fact, all three people involved in this incident were treated and released.

Our investigators are looking into the cause of this crash and the investigation is ongoing.

Trooper Gregory is doing an interview with KWTV – NEWS 9 . It is scheduled to air tonight at 10.

Trooper Gregory sustained no major injuries in the crash, having suffered just a “relatively minor injury to his left arm,” per ABC7. The two other drivers involved in the collision are likewise in good health.

The trooper reminded drivers to please slow down when they see police officers in the midst of a traffic stop on the side of the road. Indeed, slowing down and moving one lane over is standard practice for motorists who observe the police conducting a traffic stop, and in many states you must do so by law.

It’s unclear what led the Lexus GX to collide into the Mercury Mariner, but it’s possible that the driver of the Lexus miscalculated their trajectory as they took the exit on I-40 that is visible in the dash cam footage. The OHP trooper says he did not hear the Lexus driver brake. The investigation is still ongoing.

Trooper Gregory told KWTV reporters the dramatic crash is the second such collision in a row in the same city within the span of a month. A similar crash occurred on January 5 within “two or three miles,” according to Gregory, who was the first to respond to the crash where another trooper was badly injured. Gregory goes on to say that second crash and near miss is “hopefully the scare of [his] career.”

Screenshot: KWTV-NEWS9