FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — New video of a crash that sent two people to the hospital shows the moment an officer narrowly avoided being hit head-on by a speeding teen driver. Fairfax County Police released the video Tuesday in hopes of deterring speeders.
Dashcam footage of the close call shows a speeding driver spin out of control, and swerve into the opposite lane, nearly striking an officer who was out of his car talking to a driver he had pulled over.
Just before noon on Monday, a patrol officer was conducting a routine traffic stop on southbound Fairfax County Parkway, prior to Braddock Road. As the officer was approaching the driver from the passenger side, another car speeding northbound crossed over the median and smashed into the same car.
The officer just barely jumps out of the way to avoid being hit as the speeding driver crashes into the pulled-over car. He then calls for backup help and begins checking both drivers for injuries.
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said it is a miracle the officer is alive, and only sustained minor injuries. The chief said the black 2018 BMW M3 that caused the crash was driven by a 17-year-old going over 120 miles per hour.
"It was a rocket and then it became a missile," said Chief Davis, referring to that car.
The adult driver who had been pulled over on the traffic stop was taken to an area hospital with minor injuries. They have since been released. The teen driver and their two passengers also sustained minor injuries.
The teen driver accused in the head-on crash stayed at the scene and is now facing charges for reckless driving.
"We have to call to attention the young drivers, the teen drivers who are responsible for an incredible number of excessive speed related crashes," said Fairfax County Police Deputy Chief Bob Blakely.
The crash comes as the police department is ramping up traffic enforcement efforts and outreach to high schools as more incidents involving teens go up.
Fairfax County Police say their evidence of this comes from how many tickets they've handed out to teen drivers, just this year.
Deputy Chief Blakely said, "62% more tickets to teen drivers for speeding offenses; 98% more for violating signs or signals, so stop signs red lights and even the speed limit; 181% increase in failing to pay full time attention, which is often associated with a crash."
In this instance, he says three teens were in the car. Earlier this year, two teens died and another was seriously hurt after a crash on Lee Chapel Road. Police said the teen driving, was going 100.7 mph.
"Year to date we have eight fatal crash victims. Three of those fatal crash victims were caused because of the driving behavior of a teen driver," said Blakely.
The Fairfax County Police Department hopes parents and guardians consider using this video as an opportunity to have a conversation with teen drivers about how their driving behavior can affect the lives of others.
"Parents need to take a minute and talk to our teen drivers and we all need to take a minute and make sure we're not going so fast we can't control our own motor vehicle," said Chief Davis.