Deputy Survives Being Hit by Pickup

Everyday, tens of thousands of us travel Minnesota highways and interstates and it?s not uncommon to see state troopers or county deputies pulled over on the side of the road.

Yet, there are still too many drivers who disobey the law and don?t move over a lane or slow down when passing these vehicles.

Wednesday, a dashboard mounted camera in a Minnesota state patrol car caught a horrific accident on tape. The result could have been much worse.

The videotape, released by the state patrol, shows a truck plowing into a Ramsey County deputy helping someone on the side of the road Wednesday morning.

The most amazing thing, the deputy received only minor injuries.

Ramsey County Deputy Glenn Pothen had stopped to assist a state trooper who was helping a woman whose car had gone into the ditch, when a Toyota pickup slammed into him on the side of the road.

The accident happened near Interstate 694 and 35-E.

Pothen is a 35-year-old, father of two who has been with the Ramsey County Sheriff?s office for seven years. He was taken to a hospital, treated for injuries and released.

State patrol officials say they are releasing the tape out frustration and in hopes of getting the driving public to realize how crucial it is for them to move over and slow down.

"When I saw the tape this morning, I already knew that the deputy had survived and in fact wasn't seriously injured, and my thought was, 'I'm watching a fatality crash,"' said state patrol Capt. Jay Swanson. "My thought was, 'In a couple days I'm going to be going to another funeral.'

State patrol officials say the incident is still under investigation, but it doesn?t appear drugs, alcohol or high speeds were involved.

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