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For the second time in less than eight months, a Saskatchewan RCMP officer has narrowly avoided being struck by a vehicle on a provincial highway.
According to police, an officer was conducting a traffic stop west of Lashburn on Highway 16 at about 10 a.m. Thursday.
“The officer positioned their fully marked police vehicle in the proper manner to safely conduct a traffic stop,” a Saskatchewan RCMP statement said.
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The officer was speaking with the driver of the vehicle that had been pulled over when another vehicle collided with the officer’s parked vehicle.
The officer was not hit by the passing SUV but was struck by debris from the collision, including a side-view mirror. The officer was not seriously injured.
“Watching the video is terrifying. Our officers are out there doing their job to keep the public safe. We need drivers to do their part to keep our officers safe,” said Supt. Grant St. Germaine, officer in charge of Saskatchewan RCMP Traffic Services.
The SUV that allegedly struck the officer’s vehicle stopped, and the driver was issued a ticket for driving without due care and attention.
“Drivers must slow down to 60 km/h when passing emergency vehicles with activated lights, remain attentive behind the wheel and give first responders ample space to work safely,” St. Germaine said.
In the earlier incident, an officer was conducting a traffic stop near Grand Coulee on Feb. 28. The officer was walking back to his vehicle when he saw a semi travelling at highway speed directly toward him without moving into the passing lane, Saskatchewan RCMP said in a statement issued March 2.
The officer jumped into the ditch just before the semi struck his police vehicle.
RCMP said the police vehicle was significantly damaged, but the officer was not physically injured.
Police said the vehicle’s emergency lights were activated, the on-duty officer was wearing his uniform, and the police vehicle was properly parked.
The semi stopped, and the officer issued the driver a ticket for driving without due care and attention and another for driving without reasonable consideration for others. The semi driver was also not injured.
“Twice this year, we have almost had one of our officers hit while conducting a traffic stop, and this doesn’t include the many scary close calls we don’t report publicly,” St. Germaine said.
