Photo: Adams County Sheriff's Office
A Colorado deputy is being praised as a hero for risking his life to stop a wrong-way driver speeding down the highway. Adams County deputies were called after motorists reported a driver on the wrong side of Interstate 70.
Officers stopped traffic on the highway and tried to get the driver to stop. However, the driver ignored their commands and continued to barrel toward the deputies and oncoming traffic.
That's when one of the deputies positioned his SUV in the path of the vehicle.
"There were over a dozen vehicles stopped in the eastbound lanes as the wrong-way driver approached. One deputy bravely put himself and his vehicle in harm's way ahead of the stopped vehicles to intercept the incoming vehicle and allowed himself to be struck so the other vehicles would not be hit," the Adams County Sheriff's Office wrote on Facebook.
The impact of the collision sent both cars careening down the highway for 140 feet before coming to a stop in front of a semi-truck.
The officer and the 83-year-old driver of the wrong-way vehicle had to be hospitalized. The deputy suffered minor injuries, while the other driver had serious injuries.
"There is no doubt that without the deputy's quick action and bravery, several vehicles would have been struck at high speeds, and lives would have been lost," the sheriff's office said.
It is unknown why the driver was on the wrong side of the highway. He was cited for careless driving and driving in the wrong lane.