DENVER — A newly released dashcam video of an accident over the weekend shows the moment a suspect vehicle collided with one of two Colorado State Patrol vehicles, throwing a police officer over the side of the bridge.
The nearly six-minute video shows CSP soldiers responding to Interstate 270 at milepost 1 in Adams County at about 3:45 a.m. and making a speeding call about a minor injury accident on the road near the Interstate 76 interchange.
Officers were investigating when another speeding car arrived, drove through the traffic cones the officers had set up, struck the patrol vehicle and pushed it several yards toward one of the responding officers.
Police officer Kevin Bagley is then seen backing out as the vehicle speeds towards him, falling over a bridge barrier to the banks of the South Platte River about 30 feet lower.
CSP chief Colonel Matthew Packard said during a news conference Monday that Bagley, a two-year state patrol veteran, is lucky to be alive.
“By the grace of God, I’m standing here today talking about police car hits, not people dying on Saturday morning,” he said. “And it’s clearly pure luck.”
The dashcam shows an accident in which a CSP soldier was thrown over a bridge during a traffic stop
Packard said 12 squad cars have been hit while officers are on duty so far this year.
According to Packard, this represents a 50% increase in accidents caused by first responders compared to last year, when there were only eight reported accidents involving CSP vehicles for the entire year.
“I’m asking everyone for help,” Packard pleaded with the Coloradons Monday. “Life depends on decisions made at the wheel of a car. That’s it. And when you drive a car, you have one task: to drive responsibly.”
The driver of the car that rammed the squad car and forced the officer onto the banks of the South Platte River was treated at the hospital and later jailed at the Adams County Jail, Packard said.
This suspect – identified as 30-year-old Cesar Ayala Manriquez – is charged with vehicle assault and reckless driving. Other fees are pending.
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