ORLANDO, Fla. – Dashcam video shows a 22-year-old Florida Highway Patrol trooper intentionally crashed into a car that had been driving the wrong way on Interstate 4 in Central Florida, officials said.
The two-vehicle wreck was reported around 10:35 p.m. on the eastbound entrance ramp to I-4 at John Young Parkway.
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According to the FHP, a 48-year-old Arizona woman was driving a 2022 Toyota Corolla west in the eastbound lanes of the interstate at mile marker 83 near Colonial Drive.
FHP troopers, Orlando police officers and Orange County sheriff’s deputies responded to the area in an attempt to stop the driver, officials said.
The woman then drove west on the eastbound entrance ramp to I-4 at John Young Parkway, about 5 miles from Colonial Drive, where she was struck nearly head-on by an FHP trooper who was attempting to stop the woman from entering a busy intersection, according to authorities.
Dashcam shows the Corolla barreling down the ramp. Seconds before impact, the Toyota appears to swerve in the video, trying to avoid the cruiser, but the rear of the car gets clipped.
Another angle in the video of the collision shows the Corolla careen off the road and the trooper then jumps from his cruiser to order the driver out of the car.
FHP said the Corolla hit a palm tree on a grassy shoulder after being forced off the road.
The woman suffered minor injuries and was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center for an evaluation, the FHP said.
The trooper, an Orlando man, was taken to a hospital with minor injuries, according to an FHP crash report.
Video from a traffic camera shows an FHP cruiser with its hood open on the side of the road, with at least one emergency vehicle nearby.
The crash remains under investigation.
#BreakingNews overnight @FHPOrlando pic.twitter.com/XnMkvXYovR
— “Trooper Steve” Montiero (@TrooperSteve_) July 25, 2023
Getting reports of a #Hero #Trooper overnight in Orange County.
— “Trooper Steve” Montiero (@TrooperSteve_) July 25, 2023
Attempting to confirm through official sources but from what I gather a #Trooper stopped a wrong way driver on the highway, ultimately saving lives.
Trooper will be ok!
More info to come! pic.twitter.com/1N7zHlVdUG