A deputy in Adams County, Wisconsin had a literal close call with a vehicle. The sheriff’s office released video Friday showing how he almost got buzzed by a passing pickup truck. They said it happened this week.
As seen on dash-cam video, the deputy pulled over a driver. He told him that he was speeding.
“I understand you had a bad day at work,” the officer said. “We all have bad days at work. You have to remember when we’re driving, it’s a different world. There’s other people out here, and it’s dangerous when we start to let that go.”
The word of the day is: foreshadowing.
The deputy said he was just going to let the driver off with a warning for what could’ve been a $200 citation. Cue white pickup truck, which then drove behind by the officer, only inches away, apparently catching both men by surprise. The deputy flinched.
“Oh my God!” the first driver said.
“I have to go after him,” the deputy said, cutting the traffic stop short.
Dash-cam footage only shows the very beginning of his chase after the white pickup truck. The sheriff’s office did not identity the driver of that vehicle, only saying he was cited for several violations, and that the deputy was fine.
Oh, and they shared a reminder that the state has a “move over law” meant to protect law enforcement, emergency responders, road maintenance workers, and other working right by the highway.
The law requires drivers to shift lanes or slow down in order to provide a “safety zone” for a squad car, ambulance, fire truck, tow truck, utility vehicle, or highway maintenance vehicle that is stopped on the side of a road with its warning lights flashing.
Drivers have two options for creating a safety zone:
-If the road has more than one directional lane, like the Interstate, and you can switch lanes safely, you must move over to vacate the lane closest to the law enforcement or other vehicle with its lights flashing.
-If the road has a single directional lane or you can’t safely move over, you must reduce your speed.
They said a violation will get a driver three demerit points on their license, and a $249 fine. The license will be outright suspended if the violator takes part in a crash. Worse, if someone else sustains an hurt or dies, then anyone who breaks the “move over law” faces up to seven years in prison.
[Screengrab via Adams County Sheriff’s Office]
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