The Utah Department of Public Safety released footage of a trooper who was hit by a car March 25 in inclement weather.
According to the agency, Sgt. Cade Brenchley was identified as the officer struck from behind by a vehicle in Sardine Canyon while responding to several vehicles sliding off the roadways into ditches.
“I remember thinking to myself, ‘I’ve been hit. I’ve just been hit. Holy crap,’” the trooper said March 27, according to the Deseret News. “After watching this video, I think you can see I’m extremely grateful to be alive and here talking to you. It was not my favorite day.
In the video, Brenchley is hit only seconds after stepping out of his car while in the view of the patrol car’s dashcam.
“That’s about the last thing I remember,” he stated, according to the media outlet. “Then I remember everything was black. It felt like a weird dream. I felt some sort of impact and I was kind of coming around. Like I said, it felt like a dream and I started wondering what was going on. At that point I woke up and saw snow.”
The sergeant suffered multiple injuries but thankfully he is expected to survive, and is the 11th trooper to be hit in the state so far this year.
The agency’s press release stated:
UHP Trooper Speaks for the First-time After Being Hit by Vehicle
TUESDAY MARCH 27, 2018
Sgt. Cade Brenchley, a second generation trooper, with the Utah Highway Patrol (UHP) will speak to the media for the first-time since he was struck by a vehicle on Sunday in Sardine Canyon. Sgt. Brenchley was responding to multiple slide offs in the canyon when he was struck from behind by a vehicle driving on the highway. He suffered broken ribs and a broken scapula and was transported to Logan Regional Hospital.The 13 year UHP veteran is well respected and known in his community where he serves as a local soccer coach. Sgt. Brenchley has previously been involved in delivering twins on the side of the interstate and helping save a burn victim in a car crash. He spearheads our northern Utah public information and education efforts and works with local high schools. Most importantly, he is a husband and father of four.
This is the 11th trooper hit on Utah roads this year (January 1-March 25). In 2017, 10 troopers were hit. In only three months, we have unfortunately surpassed that unacceptable number.
The agency thanked those who offered assistance to the trooper: “Our department is thankful to the multiple bystanders who came to the aide of Sgt. Brenchley after he was struck. The dash cam video shows many people on the scene who stopped to offer aide and called for help on his car radio. Some of the Cache Valley first responders included three of Sgt. Brenchley’s cousins.”
A longer version of the video can be viewed below, showing good Samaritans offering their help after the terrifying ordeal:
The trooper asked those on the road in snowy conditions to take it slow.
“When there’s snow on the road, you just need to check your ego and slow down. Be patient. Be courteous,” Cade Brenchley told the Desert News. “There’s more at stake than just driving down the road. There are people with families. We’re all trying to get home.”