Trooper sent flying as SUV slams into vehicle during traffic stop, Oklahoma video shows

An Oklahoma Highway Patrol officer was sent hurtling to the ground when an SUV slammed into a vehicle during a traffic stop, dash camera video shows.

In the video, captured Jan. 18, Trooper Jesse Gregory can be seen talking with a driver pulled over along Interstate 40, according to a highway patrol news release.

Neither he nor the driver seem to notice the black SUV heading toward them until the split-second it drifts onto the shoulder and crashes into the stopped vehicle — launching Gregory backward as glass and rubber litter the ground, video shows. The black SUV spins, then flips over onto the grass and, seconds later, Gregory can be heard calling for help on his radio.

Despite how violent the impact was, nobody was killed or seriously injured, the state highway patrol said, adding that Gregory and both drivers have been treated and released from the hospital.

“We show this video as a graphic reminder of the consequences of distracted or impaired driving,” the state highway patrol said.

The near-miss could have gone very differently, OHP officials said.

“I’m just so glad he was able to get up and walk away,” Trooper Preston Cox told KFOR. “If he was on the other side of that vehicle, I think the injuries sustained would have been much more significant.”

The exact cause of the crash is under investigation, according to officials.

This story was originally published January 25, 2024 at 9:02 AM.