LAKE COUNTY, Ind. — You probably see cops doing traffic stops all the time. Sometimes they’re pulling someone over for a traffic violation – sometimes they’re helping someone. Sometimes, they lose their lives.
“We’ve had several officers killed in the line of duty, on traffic stops assisting motorists,” says Sgt. Glen Fifield with Indiana State Police.
Sgt. Fifield was almost hit by an intoxicated driver on Wednesday, while conducting a traffic stop. He saw the car coming, and managed to escape over the concrete wall, falling four feet down into some thorn bushes. He’s a little roughed up, but he says he’s lucky. “That could’ve resulted in, you know, a lot worse than some bumps and scrapes and the little bit of pain that I have. It could’ve been a completely different outcome,” says Sgt. Fifield.
Sgt. Fifield says he knows that road safety messages often go through one ear and out of the other. But now that he’s been on the other side of those messages that warn of deadly accidents, he says it’s important for everyone to follow the law: give police some room to work on the road, or at least slow down if you can’t move over.
“I guess the message is put others before yourself, and take that time to look out for someone else’s safety and change lanes.”
You can listen to the full interview with Sgt. Glen Fifield below:
