Brave Florida trooper intentionally crashes into wrong-way driver on I-4

A Florida Highway Patrol trooper intentionally crashed his patrol car into a wrong-way driver on Interstate-4 in Orange County on Monday night to prevent the driver from causing an accident, officials said.

The crash happened shortly before 11 p.m. near the I-4 eastbound entrance ramp at South John Young Parkway.

Officials – including FHP, the Orlando Police Department and Orange County Sheriff's Office – were dispatched to a vehicle traveling west in the eastbound lanes on I-4 near mile marker 83. The driver – identified as a 48-year-old woman from Arizona – of the Toyota Corolla was seen traveling the wrong way on I-4's eastbound entrance ramp from South John Young Parkway, according to officials.

That's when a state trooper entered the eastbound ramp with its lights and sirens activated. The trooper tried to block the wrong-way driver from getting to the busy intersection at South John Young Parkway, but the car continued to travel westbound before swerving to the right into the travel lanes of the entrance ramp.

The trooper then turned its patrol car toward the left to try and block the 22-year-old man's car, which caused it to hit the left side of that vehicle. The car traveled onto the north grass shoulder of the entrance ramp and struck a palm tree.

"FHP's response to the report of wrong way driving and the actions of the trooper involved, without a doubt, saved lives," FHP Colonel Gary Howze II said in a statement. "Everyone on the road is responsible for their actions and their impact on others around them; whether intentional or not, a driver’s situational awareness will likely make the difference if someone is injured or killed on our roadways."

The driver was transported to a local hospital for a medical evaluation. The trooper was also transported to a hospital with minor injuries.

The crash remains under investigation.