Current:Home > Markets'I am going to die': Video shows North Dakota teen crashing runaway car at 113 mph -ProfitSphere Academy
'I am going to die': Video shows North Dakota teen crashing runaway car at 113 mph
View
Date:2025-04-16 21:38:56
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! (71751)
Related
- Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
- Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky Address “Untrue” Divorce Rumors
- Racing Driver Dilano van ’T Hoff’s Girlfriend Mourns His Death at Age 18
- The latest workers calling for a better quality of life: airline pilots
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- Elizabeth Holmes has started her 11-year prison sentence. Here's what to know
- Federal inquiry details abuses of power by Trump's CEO over Voice of America
- Olivia Culpo Shares Glimpse Inside Her and Fiancé Christian McCaffrey's Engagement Party
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- Fake viral images of an explosion at the Pentagon were probably created by AI
Ranking
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- With Epic Flooding in Eastern Kentucky, the State’s Governor Wants to Know ‘Why We Keep Getting Hit’
- Federal inquiry details abuses of power by Trump's CEO over Voice of America
- Study: Pennsylvania Children Who Live Near Fracking Wells Have Higher Leukemia Risk
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- The Texas AG may be impeached by members of his own party. Here are the allegations
- Selling Sunset's Amanza Smith Finally Returns Home After Battle With Blood Infection in Hospital
- If you haven't logged into your Google account in over 2 years, it will be deleted
Recommendation
House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
A brief biography of 'X,' the letter that Elon Musk has plastered everywhere
Amazon Prime Day Early Tech Deals: Save on Kindle, Fire Tablet, Ring Doorbell, Smart Televisions and More
Yes, Puerto Rican licenses are valid in the U.S., Hertz reminds its employees
Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
Texas Activists Sit-In at DOT in Washington Over Offshore Oil Export Plans
Ron DeSantis debuts presidential bid in a glitch-ridden Twitter 'disaster'
An Energy Transition Needs Lots of Power Lines. This 1970s Minnesota Farmers’ Uprising Tried to Block One. What Can it Teach Us?