"Are you ready? Okay. Let's roll."- Last words of Todd Beamer
It just seems like it would have been pretty easy for him to have avoided that flight through the air by backing off as soon as the truck got sideways. But, it's easy for me to second guess while sitting at my PC watching the video. It would be lots different being the officer in the car. I am glad he apparently had minor injuries.
The truck's undercarriage became a ramp when it rolled into the ditch.
I remember being the 4th? 5th? medic unit on a MVA a couple years ago. Our guy was the driver of a full size SUV that had obviously hit a pole, hard. Only there's no downed pole.
Chaotic scene, including one of the involved vehicles ending up on top of a pedestrian who they were still trying to extricate when we rolled up.
As we're leaving, I see a 3 foot chunk of telephone pole laying in the grass. Our guy had hit the pole so hard he'd knocked a chunk out of it, and the rest of the pole just dropped down behind him and was still standing. ( After midnight and dark, didn't see the lines drooping)
PS, 35 MPH urban 4 lane. Sheer good luck that our guy lost it where he did, and ended up in a vacant lot rather than inside a building.
'Nobody ever called the fire department because they did something intelligent'
Yep, I watched it again and I think this and TGS comment about being locked together are correct. Seems like the truck rolled and was somewhat sliding until it hit the softer surface off the macadam. I think that caused it to decelerate very quickly and the cruiser was still on it's 4 wheels moving just fine so up and over it went. I have 5 and an 8 yr old grandsons who have a good collection of little play cars and trucks. They get them out and it isn't long until one is crashing into the other and flying. When I saw this video it reminded me of their games. But it sure is different when each vehicle is 3500-4000 pounds and there is a real person in each one..
Guy in the truck brought it on himself, so, you know, reap what you sow and all that.
Trooper is lucky-I would NOT suggest a PIT at high speed but I guess they had to stop the moron before he killed some innocent. Not sure if trooper was mostly being brave or it was mostly youthful reckless enthusiasm (not that it matters). I can still, just barely, remember that stage of being a cop and totaling two patrol cars over a couple years time and the resulting unpaid vacation days and a slightly thicker personnel file.
Anyway, good job by the trooper and I am glad he is okay, but I bet he is one sore guy...
The current term is TVI: Tactical Vehicle Intervention, not PIT.
I've seen it and done it at high speeds without incident. The problem was a poorly executed maneuver, not the maneuver itself.
We may lose and we may win, but we will never be here again.......