Current:Home > Stocks'I am going to die': Video shows North Dakota teen crashing runaway car at 113 mph -WealthSpot
'I am going to die': Video shows North Dakota teen crashing runaway car at 113 mph
View
Date:2025-04-17 13:29:19
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! (5)
Related
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- Proof Kris Jenner Is Keeping Up With Katy Perry and Taylor Swift’s Reunion
- Wyoming starts selecting presidential delegates Saturday. But there’s not a statewide election
- Charlie Woods, Tiger's son, faces unrealistic expectations to succeed at golf
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- 2 Americans believed dead after escapees apparently hijack yacht, Grenada police say
- Inside Travis Kelce's New Romantic Offseason With Taylor Swift
- Bengals to use franchise tag on wide receiver Tee Higgins
- NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
- Ruby Franke's Sister Speaks Out After YouTuber Is Sentenced to Prison for Child Abuse
Ranking
- Average rate on 30
- Bengals to use franchise tag on wide receiver Tee Higgins
- Vanessa Hudgens, Cole Tucker & More Couples Who Proved Love Is the Real Prize at the SAG Awards
- Amy Schumer Shares Cushing Syndrome Diagnosis After Drawing Speculation Over Her Puffier Face
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- Facing backlash over IVF ruling, Alabama lawmakers look for a fix
- Oaths and pledges have been routine for political officials. That’s changing in a polarized America
- Inside Travis Kelce's New Romantic Offseason With Taylor Swift
Recommendation
Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
Stained glass window showing dark-skinned Jesus Christ heading to Memphis museum
2 National Guard members killed in Mississippi helicopter crash during training flight
Malia Obama Isn't the Only One With a Stage Name—Check Out These Stars' Real Names
'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star Porsha Williams files for divorce from Simon Guobadia
New Jersey man acquitted in retrial in 2014 beating death of college student from Tennessee
When do South Carolina polls open and close for the 2024 primary? Key times for today's Republican vote