BELLEFONTAINE NEIGHBORS, Mo. – A driver, possibly under the influence, was caught on police dashcam crashing into a police vehicle. The driver was taken into custody after first going to the hospital.
Law enforcement said the crash is a sad reminder about the dangers of drinking and driving.
Newly released dashcam video shows the officer driving southbound on Bellefontaine Road around 6 a.m. on Monday. The driver of a northbound car loses control, crosses the centerline, and strikes the officer’s car.
“A car swerved into his lane and [the officer] took maneuvers and tried to get out of the way of the vehicle,” Lt. Alex Bowles, Bellefontaine Neighbors Police Department, said. “The vehicle still struck the rear of [the officer’s] vehicle.”
Police bodycam footage shows the office walk to the female driver to see if she’s okay. Lt. Bowles said the woman was taken into custody and then brought to the hospital for a blood draw. Police don’t have the results of that test but based on the woman’s behavior and speech on the bodycam, she appeared to be driving while intoxicated.
“If the officer was not paying attention as he was, he very easily could have been hit head-on and both of them could have been casualties,” Bowles said.