(PatrioticPost.com)- A quick-thinking police officer saved the life of his partner last weekend after a careening car crashed into a police vehicle that was on the side of the road.
In a 13-second clip from a dashboard camera Officer Matthew Stewart of the Gate City Police Department can be seen reacting in the nick of time to pull Officer Jessica McGraw out of the way just as a white car slammed into the parked police SUV on Highway 23.
The incident occurred during a traffic stop as Officer Stewart was talking with Officer McGraw on the side of the roadway about the status of the driver’s license.
The dashcam video shows a white vehicle traveling in the opposite direction suddenly lose control and cross the median, slamming into McGraw’s SUV.
The collision sent the SUV spinning toward the officers, but Stewart “caught a glimpse” of the vehicle coming toward them just in time to pull his colleague out of the way before she could get struck by the spinning SUV.
According to the Gates City police, McGraw then checked on the driver of the white car and called for rescue and fire units.
In a statement after the near-miss, Gates City Police Chief Justin Miller praised the quick actions of Officer Stewart, saying that he not only saved himself “from serious bodily injury or death,” he also saved Officer McGraw.
According to Miller’s statement, both officers escaped without any serious injuries, however, McGraw did suffer from some pain in her leg afterward, saying that it “went numb like I had a bad charley horse.”
In the dashcam video, it appears that the brush guard of the SUV did hit McGraw’s leg as Stewart was pulling her to safety. But her injury was minor, and both officers were expected to return to duty.
Virginia State Police investigated the crash involving the patrol car, and according to the Gates Police Department, the driver of the white car was issued a citation for failure to maintain control of the vehicle.
Watch the 13-second dashcam video HERE.
