Current:Home > My'I am going to die': Video shows North Dakota teen crashing runaway car at 113 mph -Visionary Wealth Guides
'I am going to die': Video shows North Dakota teen crashing runaway car at 113 mph
View
Date:2025-04-16 20:30:06
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! (34487)
Related
- Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
- Auto Industry Pins Hopes on Fleets to Charge America’s Electric Car Market
- Read the transcript: What happened inside the federal hearing on abortion pills
- Kourtney Kardashian announces pregnancy with sign at husband Travis Barker's concert
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- In Alaska’s Cook Inlet, Another Apparent Hilcorp Natural Gas Leak
- Wedding costs are on the rise. Here's how to save money while planning
- Keystone XL Pipeline Foes Rev Up Fight Again After Trump’s Rubber Stamp
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- Fight Over Fossil Fuel Influence in Climate Talks Ends With Murky Compromise
Ranking
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- GOP Fails to Kill Methane Rule in a Capitol Hill Defeat for Oil and Gas Industry
- As Trump Touts Ethanol, Scientists Question the Fuel’s Climate Claims
- U.S. Appeals Court in D.C. Restores Limitations on Super-Polluting HFCs
- Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
- The happiest country in the world wants to fly you in for a free masterclass
- This safety-net hospital doctor treats mostly uninsured and undocumented patients
- Auli’i Cravalho Reveals If She'll Return as Moana for Live-Action Remake
Recommendation
NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
Coasts Should Plan for 6.5 Feet Sea Level Rise by 2100 as Precaution, Experts Say
Justin Timberlake Declares He's Now Going By Jessica Biel's Boyfriend After Hilarious TikTok Comment
'Live free and die?' The sad state of U.S. life expectancy
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
On 3/11/20, WHO declared a pandemic. These quotes and photos recall that historic time
This Week in Clean Economy: Can Electric Cars Win Over Consumers in 2012?
The Coral Reefs You Never Heard of, in the Path of Trump’s Drilling Plan