NEAR WELLINGTON, Fla. (WSVN) — It was a close call for a Florida Highway Patrol trooper who suddenly found himself in the path of an out-of-control pickup truck along Interstate 95 near Wellington.
Speaking with reporters on Friday, FHP Trooper Dominic Alexandre said he feels very fortunate.
“It’s a miracle. God’s always watching us,” he said. “I always pray before I go to work, and I always attribute my faith to me surviving that day.”
Survival mode is what saved Alexandre. The incident happened Thursday just before 4 p.m.
“I was traveling northbound on Interstate 95 approaching Hypoluxo Road when I observed a Toyota 4Runner, white, in an outside lane.
Dashcam video captured the trooper as he pulled over behind the SUV.
He said he activated his emergency lights.
Dashcam video tweeted out by the FHP, Thursday night, showed what happened next.
“I was able to hear the screeching sound of the pickup truck and glanced at my left,” said Alexandre, “and I had a split-second decision to make: my life or get hit.”
The trooper backed up and ran away in the nick of time as the truck slammed into the disabled SUV.
Alexandre said he ran to the only place he could. The woman who was in the direct path of the truck was also able to get out of the way.
“I ran toward the female motorist, who was on the ground. I looked at her injuries and called the appropriate services: fire rescue, ambulance,” said Alexandre.
The driver of the SUV suffered minor injuries from falling to the ground. Alexandre was not hurt.
The trooper took the woman to the hospital and then he completed a crash investigation. He determined an unknown sedan hit a white pickup truck, which swerved into the gray truck that hit the 4Runner.
Alexandre said the driver of the unknown sedan kept going.
“A screeching sound is not a good sound to hear. We hear it all the time. I’m very fortunate and very lucky,” he said. “You never know when is your time. Yesterday wasn’t my time.”
Alexandre said he went home Thursday night and watched the dashcam video. That’s when he realized just how lucky he was.
The trooper advised drivers to slow down on the road and to observe Florida’s “Move Over” law when approaching the scene of a crash.
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