Police Officer Jumps Out Of The Way Of Out-Of-Control Vehicle

Winter weather can be a real pain for anyone. And while city officials are always warning citizens to stay off the roads during bouts of inclement weather, there never ceases to be a select few drivers who just can’t stay off of the road. This often proves disastrous for everyone involved, and this Fond du Lac County police officer is no exception.

From the moment that the video starts, you know that trouble is about to appear. The clip, a dashcam video released from the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office, shows an officer climbing out of a roadside ditch, a few feet away from a road sign for Winnebago Drive. The roadway is covered with a thick layer of snow, and only one other car seems brave enough to be out on the road. A set of headlights flash as the silver car ahead begins to lose traction and slides toward the officer.

Clad in a reflective jacket, the officer looks back just in time to see the car barreling in his direction. Panicked, he makes a grab at what appears to be a flashlight on his waist before running back into the ditch. The car regains traction just in time to avoid smashing into the officer or his police car. The air is so cold that you can see exactly when the officer makes a sigh of relief.

Videos like this only serve as even more of a reminder of how dangerous the roadways can be during a snowstorm. In recent years, roadside accidents due to losing control of a vehicle have soared in numbers. And while it’s hard to put some things on hold as a result of heavy snowfall, it’s even harder to look at a video like this and not think twice about getting out on the highway.

Winter can bring a lot of happiness into our lives. It gives us snowball fights and snowmen. It provides us with an excuse to drink hot chocolate every day and wear our coziest socks around the house. You could spend your entire afternoon doing nothing but baking Toll House cookies and people would be totally okay with it because hey, it’s winter! But winter can also make everyday activities incredibly dangerous. A curve that you’ve taken a million times can suddenly be way too sharp with an added layer of snow under your tires. The speed you’re used to going all the way home from work is all of the sudden far too fast. The next time the weather station calls for inclement weather in your area, maybe recall this video and consider staying home instead.