A dramatic crash involving a suspected drunk driver and a Ford Explorer police patrol car in Wheat Ridge, Colorado has been caught on camera.
The incident happened in the early hours of Sunday, August 9 as the Ford Explorer police car was parked behind a tow track having responded to an earlier crash on the corner of West 38th Avenue and Pierce Street.
The body camera of an officer at the scene captured the moment the pickup truck rear-ended the police vehicle, pushing it into a white car and narrowly missing the tow truck driver who was standing in the intersection at the time. No one was in the police vehicle at the time, but the driver of the white vehicle was standing on the sidewalk and suffered minor injuries.
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Wheat Ridge Police Department’s Ford Explorer via Fox 31 News
9 News reports that 44-year-old Mathew Paul, who was driving the pickup, sustained minor injuries. He was transported to a nearby hospital and authorities believe alcohol was a contributing factor to the crash.
Indeed, Paul has been arrested 38 times since 1992 and has been convicted of drinking and driving five times. His first alcohol-related conviction came in 2001 and he was convicted of DUI twice in 2006, once in 2010 and again in 2013. Wheat Ridge police spokeswoman Sara Spaulding told the media that Paul is expected to face criminal charges following the incident.
Photos shared online by the Wheat Ridge Police Department show the extent of the damage sustained to the police cruiser – and it is indeed very fortunate that no one was inside the Explorer…