State trooper escapes death for second time
SEATTLE -- Cheating death once is frightening enough, but one Washington sate trooper has done it twice in just a little more than a year.
His latest brush with disaster, which brought him within inches of sure death, was caught on dashcam camera.
On Saturday morning, Trooper Michael Porter came to help a driver who lost control of her car on a slick Interstate 405 at the Interstate-90 interchange and slid into a ditch.
"Contacted her. She was all right. Advised her to put her safety belt on, and I was going to call a tow truck and put some flares out behind the scene," said the trooper.
But moments later, as he walked back to his cruiser, "I looked up and observed a large vehicle rolling toward me at a very high rate of speed."
The trooper had just an instant to react.
"The only thought that really went through my mind was, 'Run, and don't slip,"' he said.
It's not the first time the trooper was nearly killed on the side of a local highway.
In June of 2011 - "on my birthday, as a matter of fact" - Porter was arresting a drunk driver on I-405 in Renton when another car slammed into his patrol vehicle, sending the first offender's car into him and his suspect.
"It's terrifying," Porter said. "We all want to go home to our families at the end of the day."
Despite all the close calls, Porter says he is fortunate.
"I'm lucky to be standing here," he said. "I was completely terrified. I mean, anybody seeing a 5,000-pound vehicle rolling through the air at you -- it's completely terrifying."
Porter has a message for the drivers who nearly took him out: "Just slow down and pay attention to the road in front of you."
His latest brush with disaster, which brought him within inches of sure death, was caught on dashcam camera.
On Saturday morning, Trooper Michael Porter came to help a driver who lost control of her car on a slick Interstate 405 at the Interstate-90 interchange and slid into a ditch.
"Contacted her. She was all right. Advised her to put her safety belt on, and I was going to call a tow truck and put some flares out behind the scene," said the trooper.
But moments later, as he walked back to his cruiser, "I looked up and observed a large vehicle rolling toward me at a very high rate of speed."
The trooper had just an instant to react.
"The only thought that really went through my mind was, 'Run, and don't slip,"' he said.
It's not the first time the trooper was nearly killed on the side of a local highway.
In June of 2011 - "on my birthday, as a matter of fact" - Porter was arresting a drunk driver on I-405 in Renton when another car slammed into his patrol vehicle, sending the first offender's car into him and his suspect.
"It's terrifying," Porter said. "We all want to go home to our families at the end of the day."
Despite all the close calls, Porter says he is fortunate.
"I'm lucky to be standing here," he said. "I was completely terrified. I mean, anybody seeing a 5,000-pound vehicle rolling through the air at you -- it's completely terrifying."
Porter has a message for the drivers who nearly took him out: "Just slow down and pay attention to the road in front of you."
The Trooper was terrified.....how about my friend's father who came around a blind onramp to find a police vehicle blocking his path? The 'move over' law works better when there is more than a single lane and the trooper has parked his car out of traffic.
Wow. Glad he's ok. Got an angel riding on his shoulder....
For the Love of Pete! Can SOMEONE at the WSP please find a different uniform. I have a lot of respect for LEO's I can go on and on about that for paragraphs, but, It is honestly hard for me to keep a straight face when talking to an officer with that bow tie and hat on. Maybe if the Leave it to Beaver title song weren't playing in a loop in my head it would help also.
 @PacMan Funny thing is - back a few years ago, WSP was awarded, "Best Dressed" by some national uniform organization.  (Wonder if they manufacture the uniforms too?)
 @PacMan haha, i just said that out loud "lol, he's wearing a bowtie!"
S l o o o w w w d o w n
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 @DylanJ  @HonkeyCat WHAT?!?!
 Every time I come in contact with any of our first responders I shake their hand and thank them.  I also have let them move in front of me when waiting in line .
Does the State of Washington have the same law as Texas for emergency vehicles on the side of the road. MOVE OVER AND SLOW DOWN! or get a ticket! if not...... Legislature it's time! The people in blue need our FULL SUPPORT, we have theirs!
 @wardog Does that law also apply to civilian vehicles that pulled over due to an emergency or broken down vehicle? I've had so many people fly by me not even slowing down when I was trying to replace my flat tire on I-5.
 @3rase  @wardog Nope
@wardog yes you have to move over! or get a 101 dollar fine!
needs to be 500.00
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How many of those fines do they write? I see offenders all the time.Â
@HonkeyCat My son who is a trooper says that the will radio in the plate and car description and they have it on dash cam and send them the ticket in the mail.
@wardog Yes, it does and has for about a year.
http://www.moveoveramerica.com/
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 @wardog if i am not mistaken, we have EXACTLY such a law in place! I am sure this driver received several tickets for this one.
@wardog I completely agree with you, however this may be asking too much of the legislature...
 @what?  @wardog There is a law on the books. Signed I think two years ago.Â
 @Maynard G Krebbs  @what?  @wardog Yes, if you watch the video, at the end the news reporter says, "...Experiences like his are the reason for the State's new "Move Over" law. If you see an emergency vehicle on the side of the road, including police and fire vehicles, ambulances, and tow trucks, you are required to get over so first responders can safely do their work."
The state troopers are real  troopers, but who's idea was it to have them wear a bow ties?Â
@jase the tie is part of the uniform and such in a brawl with a perp it can't be grabed and used as a chocking device.
@wynooheeman That is what clip on ties are for... clip on,... rip off....
It's amazing how many drunks and trash are on our roads. It's time that our laws are rewritten. So called "manslaughter" via a vehicle needs to be treated nothing less than the murder it is. The same result should result in the same sentence. Decades in prison!Â
Lol! He pranced around the car with his hands up like a little girl. Glad he's okay though.
 @Geoff Howard I'd rather him be waving his hands in the air then planning my son in laws funeral, we are very glad he came home to our family, thank you.
 @Carrie Please thank your son-in-law for me for his service. I think our law enforcement personnel are very under-appreciated.
 @Carrie You're welcome
 @Geoff Howard While I thought the same thing, he did mention that he was trying to avoid slipping, which could have cost him his life had he slipped during his escape, so I think we need to reassess the situation. The first car was already in the ditch due to slippery conditions, per the news story. You do what you have to do to save your life. Agree with Mona, too, I can only imagine what I would look like in that situation...
 @Geoff Howard I'd like to see your reaction....
 @Mona I'd have just used my incredibly chiseled body (wrought of steel) to stop the car dead in its tracks.Â
@Geoff Howard@Mona Thank you for respecting the KOMO commenting community's intelligence enough to not use a $%^ <sarcasm> tag. I think most of us got it.
 @Geoff Howard Yeah Right!  That Trooper would still assist you even with your attitude.  He would even pay the ultimate price to protect your life.  Your body does not look "chiseled" at all.
i have read of a known phenomenon whereby people are attracted to flashing lights and have a tendency to drift toward police cars on the side of the side of the road when the light bar is on, resulting in exactly the situation this officer has faced.
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this would indicate that an officer is at risk each and every time he parks his car beside a road.
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tough job...
Was there something on the road besides rain? It's odd that two cars would wipe out in nearly the same spot. Glad the WSP officer wasn't hurt. Â
@ballard_egg Oil from vehicles sit on the roadways and then when it rains it loosens the oil and lubricants causing it to turn slick as snot. It's been especially nasty because we have gone so long without rain to wash it away. People should ALWAYS slow down in the rain but us Washingtonians think we are expert drivers in the rain and don't need to. <sarcasm>
@Tattooed_Angel I agree, people need to slow down and drive according to the conditions and traffic levels of the roads. The problem isn't the first hard rain in a long time bringing up the oil, it's the 'I got my license from playstation driver's ed' mentality. So many !diots drive like life has a reset button and that insurance will fix anything. We've all seen big rigs and mopeds, and every kind of vehicle in between, driving like they are in nascar. People tailgate, speed way too fast for the current conditions of the road, and cheat accidents every day. Those are things that need to be addressed. If they passed out more tickets for reckless driving to anyone they can find pushing the limits, we'd see less incidents.
@what? I agree with you to a point however the fact that 2 cars wiped out in the same spot suggests that it was indeed because of the slickness of the roadway.
I almost lost my nephew (KCS) last week, in the line of duty. I cannot imagine him or I going through that trauma TWICE! Blessings upon you always.....and thank you for your service.Â
@Beau's Mom Thank God he's still alive.  I will add him to my prayer list of HERO's.  I pray for them every day--for safety and the ability to return home at the end of every watch.  My Hero fell in the line 42+ years ago so I understand your feeling.  There is an agency called "INTERNATIONAL C.O.P.S. MINISTRIES"  http://www.copsministry.org/.  Mailing Address is: INTERNATIONAL C.O.P.S. MINISTRIES P.O. Box 892 Clinton, TN 37717-0892.
I have been part of this for a few years. Â All Officers/Troopers/Deputies are encouraged to send your information to Randy. Â He then sends your information to a prayer partner who prays for you & your safety on a daily basis. Â There is NO cost to join or to be a prayer partner. Â
I am very sorry for you loss Beau's Mom.
 @Beau's Mom Thank you to your nephew, you and your family. My thought's are with you. Even close calls stick with us..I remember all of mine, 3. 3 times I almost didn't come home.
Take Care
As for that message to the driver - they have to be reading the article which I doubt.
 @Chico yeah i read it all very slick that day, I work very hard to keep from hitting that cop, ruined a pristine Benz cause I was going to fast.. The full video shows several cars doing loops after I did mine.....