Current:Home > ContactA crash saved a teenager whose car suddenly sped up to 120 mph in the rural Midwest -OceanicInvest
A crash saved a teenager whose car suddenly sped up to 120 mph in the rural Midwest
View
Date:2025-04-18 15:34:20
Sam Dutcher had just finished running errands when the 18-year-old’s Honda Pilot suddenly began to accelerate, even though his foot wasn’t on the gas pedal. The brake wouldn’t work, he couldn’t shift into neutral, and before long, the runaway SUV was speeding into the western Minnesota countryside with no way to stop.
“I had the brake to the floor,” Dutcher said Thursday, but the SUV kept going faster and faster, eventually reaching 120 mph (193 kpm).
A last-ditch plan averted disaster that September evening — a trooper sped in front of the Honda and Dutcher was told to crash into the rear of his squad car, allowing it to ease safely to a stop moments before reaching a dangerous intersection.
“That was really all I could think of that was going to get him stopped in time,” Minnesota Trooper Zach Gruver said. “We kind of just ran out of time and distance. I really didn’t know of any other way.”
Dutcher, who graduated high school in May and is studying auto mechanics, was driving to the family home near West Fargo, North Dakota, around 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 17 when he realized something was wrong.
“I went to take my foot off the accelerator,” Dutcher recalled. “It wouldn’t slow down.” As the SUV gained speed, Dutcher had two options: Stay on a two-lane road and drive into Minnesota, or hop onto the interstate. Figuring traffic would be lighter, he chose the road less traveled.
Dutcher tried using voice command on his phone to call 911, but it didn’t work. So he called his mom.
Catherine Dutcher was in the drive-thru line at Hardee’s. In her 911 call, she mentioned that the Honda had just been in the shop because the accelerator was apparently getting stuck. Authorities suspect that the SUV’s computer malfunctioned.
The family should take the vehicle in to a dealership for an inspection, a Honda spokeswoman told The Associated Press. The company could not comment further until an inspection was done, she said.
As the Honda sped into Minnesota, Clay County Deputy Zach Johnson reached Dutcher by phone. Dash camera video shows Johnson talking Dutcher through possible solutions. Nothing worked.
Meanwhile, all Catherine Dutcher could do was worry. When she called 911 for an update, she broke.
“They said they’ve got several officers going to him as well as medical,” she recalled. “At that point I kind of lost it because I just imagined him being either seriously injured or dead. I didn’t know how they were going to stop a car that was going that speed.”
Gruver heard what was going on through his radio. His Dodge Charger eventually caught up with the Honda as it was approaching the town of Hitterdal, Minnesota, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from where the problem began.
Only about 200 people live in Hitterdal, but the highway runs through an area with a couple of stop signs, a railroad crossing and an intersection with another highway.
Gruver raced ahead to keep traffic at bay. His dashcam video showed the Honda zipping quickly past him through town. Dutcher said the SUV was going about 120 mph (193 kph).
Soon, another worry: Johnson warned Gruver that the highway ended at a T-intersection about four miles (6.4 kilometers) away — a two-minute drive at racing speed.
Law enforcement came up with a plan on the fly: Dutcher should drive into the back of Gruver’s squad car as both vehicles were moving.
“Yes, run into the back of his car,” Johnson urged Dutcher in a conversation captured on dashcam video.
The 2022 Honda’s crash mitigation system kicked in at the point of impact, helping ease the collision, Gruver said. The Honda was going about 50 mph (80 kph) when it struck the trooper’s vehicle. From there, Gruver was able to gradually slow to a stop.
Gruver, a married 30-year-old expecting his first baby, was impressed by the young driver who was able to navigate a runaway vehicle at unimaginable speeds.
“Sam did great,” said Gruver, who has been a trooper for over three years. “I don’t think there’s a whole lot of people that could deal with that pressure.”
veryGood! (62384)
Related
- NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
- North Carolina’s GOP-controlled House overrides Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s vetoes
- New Jersey school is removing Sen. Bob Menendez’s name from its building
- Who Is Henrik Christiansen? Meet the Olympic Swimmer Obsessed With Chocolate Muffins
- Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
- MrBeast, YouTube’s biggest star, acknowledges past ‘inappropriate language’ as controversies swirl
- 'General Hospital' star Cameron Mathison and wife Vanessa are divorcing
- Black Swan Trial: TikToker Eva Benefield Reacts After Stepmom Is Found Guilty of Killing Her Dad
- Arkansas State Police probe death of woman found after officer
- GOP primary voters in Arizona’s largest county oust election official who endured years of attacks
Ranking
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword, I Will Turn This Car Around!
- Etsy plans to test its first-ever loyalty program as it aims to boost sales
- 'General Hospital' star Cameron Mathison and wife Vanessa are divorcing
- Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
- Map shows 13 states with listeria cases linked to Boar's Head recall
- Olympic track & field begins with 20km race walk. Why event is difficult?
- Maya Rudolph sets 'SNL' return as Kamala Harris for 2024 election
Recommendation
House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman recovering from COVID-19 at home
Stock market today: Asian benchmarks are mixed as Tokyo sips on strong yen
'We have to get this photo!': Nebraska funnel cloud creates epic wedding picture backdrop
Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
BBC Journalist’s Daughter Killed in Crossbow Attack Texted for Help in Last Moments
Why does Vermont keep flooding? It’s complicated, but experts warn it could become the norm
Utah congressional candidate contests election results in state Supreme Court as recount begins