Current:Home > Stocks'I am going to die': Video shows North Dakota teen crashing runaway car at 113 mph -Clarity Finance Guides
'I am going to die': Video shows North Dakota teen crashing runaway car at 113 mph
View
Date:2025-04-12 20:50:30
When a North Dakota teen lost control of his accelerating vehicle, police ordered him to crash on purpose to save his life.
Samuel Dutcher, 18, was driving into Minnesota from North Dakota on the night of Sept. 17 when his vehicle would not stop accelerating, the Minnesota State Patrol confirmed to USA TODAY Wednesday. He called 911 and officials worked to find a way to stop the car without the West Fargo resident or anyone else getting hurt.
As his vehicle reached a speed of 113 mph, Minnesota State Trooper Zach Gruver managed to get in front of Dutcher's vehicle by moving at 130 mph and parked his squad car in its path. Clay County Deputy Zach Johnson then made the call for the teen to intentionally crash in a last stitch effort to save his life.
Watch teen saved by vehicle speeding 113 mph.
Deputy ordered teen to crash on purpose
"Yes, run into the back of his car," Johnson told Dutcher that night.
The spontaneous plan unraveled flawlessly with Dutcher saved without a single injury, according to Minnesota State Patrol.
"It’s not very often a sheriff’s deputy orders you to hit a State Patrol vehicle, but hitting Trooper Zach Gruver’s squad helped save 18-year-old Sam Dutcher’s life," state patrol wrote on Facebook.
Driver convinced he was about to die
When the vehicle's computer took over, Dutcher tried everything to stop, including the emergency brake to switching to neutral, according to local station WDAY-TV. Johnson initially told the driver that police were going to put stop sticks in his path but that plan was scrapped as time was running out, WDAY-TV reported.
"It hit me then that this really just happened," Dutcher told the station. "My mind started to go, 'I am going to die tonight.'"
He called his mother Catherine Dutcher, who immediately feared the worst.
"Early, honestly, I was like, 'My kid is probably dead.' I was like, 'God, please don't kill my kid, please don't,'" Catherine said.
Saved from this harrowing experience, Dutcher got to return to his life as an auto mechanics student at Minnesota State Community and Technical College in Moorhead, Minnesota.
Multiple media outlets were reporting the car was a 2022 Honda Pilot but police did not immediately confirm the make and model.
veryGood! (1567)
Related
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- Brittany Snow Shares Heartbreaking Details of Her Father’s Battle With Alzheimer’s Disease
- Federal prosecutors charge ex-Los Angeles County deputies in sham raid and $37M extortion
- Aaron Rodgers says he regrets making comment about being 'immunized'
- 'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
- New York’s Green Amendment Would Be ‘Toothless’ if a Lawsuit Is Tossed Against the Seneca Meadows Landfill for Allegedly Emitting Noxious Odors
- Montana State University President Waded Cruzado announces retirement
- Book Review: ‘Kent State’ a chilling examination of 1970 campus shooting and its ramifications
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Dancing With the Stars Season 33 Premiere Date Revealed—And It’s Sooner Than You Think
Ranking
- FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
- New Massachusetts law bars circuses from using elephants, lions, giraffes and other animals
- An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.6 has struck the Los Angeles area, the USGS says
- Meet Grant Ellis: Get to Know the New Bachelor From Jenn Tran’s Season
- South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
- How Kate Middleton’s Ring Is a Nod to Early Years of Prince William Romance
- Wildfire along California-Nevada line near Reno destroys 1 home, threatens hundreds more
- 'Unbelievably good ending': 89-year-old missing hiker recovered after almost 10 days
Recommendation
Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
Julianne Hough Reveals Real Reason Ryan Seacrest Romance Didn't Work
Ferguson police to release body camera footage of protest where officer was badly hurt
Montana State University President Waded Cruzado announces retirement
Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
Conservationists try to protect ecologically rich Alabama delta from development, climate change
Horoscopes Today, August 11, 2024
George Santos wants jury pool in his fraud trial questioned over their opinions of him