A Fairfax County Police officer had a brush with death Monday, only he proved too quick for the reaper.
An unnamed officer from the Sully District Station pulled over the driver of a gray 2012 BMW 750, which he caught speeding nearly 13 mph over the 50 mph limit on the Fairfax County Parkway, according to the FCPD.
The officer approached the driver on the passenger’s side of the vehicle, which police later told reporters proved “consequential.”
While addressing the driver of the BMW 750, smoke billowed up on the far side of the highway, several lanes and a grassy median over.
Another driver, similarly behind the wheel of a BMW — this time a 2018 M3 — had lost control of his vehicle while coming around the bend. Roughly five seconds later, it closed the distance and smashed into the stationary BMW and the officer’s cruiser.
“It’s just miraculous that we’re not talking under different circumstances,” said Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis. “By all accounts, this should have resulted in much worse outcomes than it did, so thank God for that.”
Dashcam footage of the incident shows the officer reacting to the distant squeal of tires and rushing to the rear of the vehicle.
Unlike the BMW the officer had pulled over on the right shoulder, the striking vehicle that nearly claimed his life was going “well over” 120 mph — more than double the speed limit.
“The car involved in that collision yesterday was a whole lot of car for an inexperienced driver,” Davis later told reporters. “It was going way too fast. It was a rocket, and then it became a missile.”
The careening vehicle, reportedly piloted by a 17-year-old, spun prior to making contact, such that its rear bumper was the first portion to strike. The car then swung around nose-first into the gap between the officer’s cruiser and the rear of the BMW 750.
The officer can be seen leaping away from the stationary BMW as the force of the initial impact jerked it backward, then slamming the hood of the striking vehicle as it sparked by.
As the twisted metal and shattered glass settled, the 13-year veteran found himself with everything still intact.
Without missing a beat, he circled back to the wreck and radioed for rescue.
Davis said his officer’s “grace under pressure was calm, cool, collected.”
According to police, all involved — the two passengers in the BMW 750, the 17-year-old in the M3, and the officer — only suffered minor injuries.
The driver responsible for the crash was charged with reckless driving.
5.1.23 Traffic Crash Sully Police Districtyoutu.be
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