A Seattle cop narrowly escaped a head-on collision with a boozed-up driver but wasn't completely spared, police said. The near-miss happened Saturday night when a drunken motorist collided with the officer's patrol car after taking a wrong turn into oncoming traffic in the Interbay neighborhood, according to the Seattle Police Department (SPD).
The crash, which went down just before 11 p.m. on the 2200 block of 15th Avenue West, occurred as the off-duty officer swerved his vehicle, attempting to avoid the impending clash but ultimately, the cop car was struck, the department said, the 31-year-old male driver, who turned from West Boston Street didn't notice the patrol vehicle heading south, this ended with his arrest for suspected DUI, as per the Seattle Police Department (SPD).
First responders from the Seattle Fire Department were quick on the scene, providing a much-needed assessment for both parties involved in the dangerous exchange. The officer, shaken by the event, was whisked away to the hospital for further examination while the driver got the all-clear from medics, only to find himself heading directly to jail, officials said.
Following the incident, authorities took the inebriated man straight to King County Jail; the charges hanging over him for the investigation were related to driving under the influence, a grim reminder of the too-often danced waltz between alcohol and peril on the roads, a dance that luckily neither dancer succumbed to serious harm this time around, as reported by the Seattle Police Department (SPD).
