Pickup Driver Says He Tried to Avoid Deputy
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A Ramsey County sheriff's deputy survived after a pickup truck struck him Wednesday morning as he was helping a woman whose car was in a ditch alongside a busy highway.
Deputy Glen Pothen, 35, was treated for injuries and released. The Minnesota State Patrol released video of the crash, which shows Pothen being struck, to remind drivers that it is state law to slow down and move over to other lanes of traffic when they see law enforcement officers along highways.
"When I saw the tape this morning, I already knew that the deputy had survived and in fact wasn't seriously injured, and my thought was, 'I'm watching a fatality crash,"' said state patrol Capt. Jay Swanson. "My thought was, 'In a couple days I'm going to be going to another funeral.'
"It's incredibly frustrating for a law enforcement officer to watch," Swanson told KARE 11.
The crash, which happened during morning rush hour, was captured by a video camera mounted in a state patrol vehicle. Pothen had stopped to assist a state trooper with a car that was in the ditch along Interstate 694, near Interstate 35E.
A Toyota pickup truck apparently lost control, clipped the patrol car, and slid at an angle, slamming into Pothen. The front passenger side of the truck struck Pothen in the back, and his head appeared to slam backward onto the hood of the vehicle. The truck pushed him into the brush in the ditch and out of the camera's view.
The man driving the pickup truck, 40-year-old Va Vang of White Bear Lake, told KARE 11 he was very sorry about what happened.
He – and the state patrol – said that stretch of I-694 was wet Wednesday morning. Vang said he tried to pull into the left lane, but his truck slipped on the pavement.
“I tried to put it straight, but I cannot control (the truck),” he said. “So my truck slid out to the right and hit him.”
Vang, who suffered only bruises on his hands, said he was relieved to find out Pothen wasn’t hurt, either. “I still feel bad,” Vang said. “Very bad. I saw it on TV. It was very bad.”
Vang says authorities seized his pickup truck as part of their investigation. It is not clear if he will face any charges.
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A Ramsey County sheriff's deputy survived after a pickup truck struck him Wednesday morning as he was helping a woman whose car was in a ditch alongside a busy highway.
Deputy Glen Pothen, 35, was treated for injuries and released. The Minnesota State Patrol released video of the crash, which shows Pothen being struck, to remind drivers that it is state law to slow down and move over to other lanes of traffic when they see law enforcement officers along highways.
"When I saw the tape this morning, I already knew that the deputy had survived and in fact wasn't seriously injured, and my thought was, 'I'm watching a fatality crash,"' said state patrol Capt. Jay Swanson. "My thought was, 'In a couple days I'm going to be going to another funeral.'
"It's incredibly frustrating for a law enforcement officer to watch," Swanson told KARE 11.
The crash, which happened during morning rush hour, was captured by a video camera mounted in a state patrol vehicle. Pothen had stopped to assist a state trooper with a car that was in the ditch along Interstate 694, near Interstate 35E.
A Toyota pickup truck apparently lost control, clipped the patrol car, and slid at an angle, slamming into Pothen. The front passenger side of the truck struck Pothen in the back, and his head appeared to slam backward onto the hood of the vehicle. The truck pushed him into the brush in the ditch and out of the camera's view.
The man driving the pickup truck, 40-year-old Va Vang of White Bear Lake, told KARE 11 he was very sorry about what happened.
He – and the state patrol – said that stretch of I-694 was wet Wednesday morning. Vang said he tried to pull into the left lane, but his truck slipped on the pavement.
“I tried to put it straight, but I cannot control (the truck),” he said. “So my truck slid out to the right and hit him.”
Vang, who suffered only bruises on his hands, said he was relieved to find out Pothen wasn’t hurt, either. “I still feel bad,” Vang said. “Very bad. I saw it on TV. It was very bad.”
Vang says authorities seized his pickup truck as part of their investigation. It is not clear if he will face any charges.
