A Minnesota State Patrol trooper is being praised for his quick thinking in order to stop a teen in a runaway car last month.
The incident happened Sept. 17 as Trooper Zach Gruver was on patrol in the northwest section of the state when a call came through concerning an 18-year-old driver who as in an out-of-control vehicle, WCCO-TV reports. According to the call, the driver's car would not stop accelerating, despite his efforts to turn off the ignition or engage the emergency brake.
Gruver located the vehicle and found that it was reaching speeds of up to 113 mph. He then began trying to catch up with the car, hitting speeds of roughly 120 to 130 mph.
"Your training kicks in, and you kind of go to 'OK, what can we do to get this vehicle stopped?'" Gruver told WCCO.
The trooper overtook the malfunctioning car in order to reach an intersection in Hitterdal and warn other traffic. As the car sped by, Gruver picked up the pursuit again and decided to try to end it before anyone else was endangered.
"It goes from your safety, to, am I going to watch this 18-year-old kid go into a farm field at 113 mph?" said Gruver. "I didn't think about my own safety or how bad it could have ended, but I was pretty certain if we didn't get him stopped, it would have either been great bodily harm or death."
The trooper got ahead of the vehicle again and hit his brakes. The car's crash detection sensors activated, slowing the vehicle as it collided with Gruver.
"There's been the word 'hero' thrown out. … I'm just a normal guy," he said. "I did what any of my partners would in that situation. Car just happened to be faster than theirs, I was able to get up in front of him and slow him down."
