Dashcam video catches semi-truck barreling head-on toward Oklahoma trooper
An Oklahoma state trooper and a semi-truck driver learned first-hand on Tuesday why no-passing zones exist, in a nearly disastrous encounter that was caught on video.
Trooper David Hamilton was driving north of Ada, Oklahoma, near the junction of two state highways when he crested a hill just before 5 p.m., state police said in a Facebook post.
That’s when a hulking semi-truck first became visible — and it was barreling toward Hamilton in the same lane as him, dash camera video of the incident shows. The semi-truck driver was illegally trying to pass two smaller vehicles on a stretch of the roadway that is a no-passing zone, police said.
Smoke appeared to rise from the truck as its driver tried to brake in the video. The smaller cars in the lane where the semi-truck belonged appeared to keep the driver from merging back to safety.
But Hamilton’s quick action saved him and the truck driver: The trooper swiftly maneuvered his car to the shoulder, averting what could have been a head-on collision with the truck, video shows.
Hamilton then did a U-turn and pulled over the semi-truck driver, dash camera video shows. Hamilton described the driver as “very apologetic and polite.” Hamilton cited the driver for operating the truck left of center in a marked zone.
The name of the driver was not released by police.
“We are grateful no one was hurt,” troopers wrote on Facebook.
Troopers said the road “has seen several fatality crashes in the past 18 months.”
Troopers asked drivers to make sure they follow posted traffic rules, particularly during the holiday season.
Video of the near collision — posted by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol on Facebook Wednesday — has been viewed more than 280,000 times on the social media platform.
More than 2,000 viewers have shared the minute-long video. It has 1,000 comments and counting as of Thursday afternoon.
This story was originally published November 29, 2018 at 2:31 PM with the headline "Dashcam video catches semi-truck barreling head-on toward Oklahoma trooper."