Dashcam Shows Fort Worth Officer Hit By Car During Traffic Stop

3 years ago
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For the first time, a Fort Worth police officer who survived being hit by a car is talking about the close call. We're also getting our first look at the dash camera video that shows the moment of impact. The collision happened on Interstate 30 near Oakland Boulevard. Officer Matthew Lesell pulled someone over on the shoulder, and, instead of slowing down and moving over a lane, a passing vehicle slammed into his squad car, then into his body. "It was July 7th, around three in the morning," Lessell recalled. He had pulled someone over for a traffic stop and got out to approach the car. "Next thing I knew is I was flying through the air," Lesell said. "It felt like I was spinning through a washing machine." The driver of the vehicle that hit Lesell was suspected of driving while intoxicated. The impact sent the officer's body into the middle of I-30. "And then telling myself, 'Hey, you're in the middle of the road. You need to get out of the road,'" he said. He managed to run off the highway just as more cars started zipping by. "From all my training, whether it be the Marine Corps, or through the academy, the worst thing to do is be down and out of the fight," Lesell said.

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