In a dramatic incident in Minnesota, a teenager managed to survive a harrowing situation when his Honda Pilot malfunctioned, causing it to speed up uncontrollably to over 100 mph.
Sam Dutcher, who recently graduated high school, was out running errands when his 18-year-old SUV suddenly began to accelerate on its own, despite his foot being off the gas. Compounding the issue, he found that the brakes were unresponsive and he couldn’t shift into neutral, sending him flying down a rural road.
“I had the brake to the floor,” Dutcher shared, noting that he hit speeds of 120 mph, as reported by the AP.
A state trooper, Zach Gruver, stepped in with a lifesaving plan: he instructed Dutcher to crash into his squad car to bring the speeding vehicle to a halt before reaching a dangerous intersection.
“That was really all I could think of that was going to get him stopped in time,” Gruver explained. “We kind of just ran out of time and distance.”
Minnesota State Patrol via AP
Dutcher was on his way to his family’s home near West Fargo, North Dakota, at around 7:30 p.m. on September 17 when the trouble began. When he tried to slow down, nothing happened.
Faced with the choice of continuing on a quieter two-lane road or merging onto a busy interstate, he chose the former. However, as he attempted to call 911 via voice command, his phone failed. He then reached out to his mom, who, while waiting in a drive-through, called 911 on his behalf, mentioning previous issues with the accelerator sticking in the past.
A Honda spokesperson indicated that the family should have visited a dealership for a thorough inspection following the previous malfunction. Meanwhile, Trooper Gruver was hot on Dutcher’s tail, catching up nearly 30 miles from where the chaos began.
With Gruver racing ahead to clear traffic, he quickly devised a plan. When the SUV hit his squad car, its crash mitigation system activated, significantly softening the impact. By that time, the Honda had slowed to approximately 50 mph.
Praising Dutcher for his composure during such an overwhelming situation, Gruver emphasized that the young driver managed to maintain control of the vehicle at incredible speeds.
This article includes reporting from the Associated Press.