(WFLA) — A Colorado State Patrol (CSP) trooper was seriously injured when he leaped off the side of a bridge in a last-ditch attempt to avoid being struck by a suspected drunk driver.
Troopers were initially called to a property damage crash at approximately 3:45 a.m. along Interstate 270 in Adams County. While investigating, a Jeep moving at high speed struck the side of a parked, unoccupied CSP cruiser.
About 45 minutes later, another, unrelated vehicle, also speeding, ran over “multiple traffic cones in the right lane that were positioned to warn oncoming traffic,” and slammed into a second unoccupied CSP vehicle that had been called to assist.
Dash camera video showed Trooper Kevin Bagley’s split-second reaction as the unoccupied patrol cruiser came straight at him. Bagley can be seen leaping over a railing, falling over 30 feet onto a river bank below.
He sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries in the process. “[Bagley] was discharged on Sunday, July 23, and will begin his long recovery at home,” the CSP said.
The driver, Cesar Ayala Manriquez, also sustained injuries but has since been discharged from the hospital. He faced charges of vehicular assault – DUI.
CSP said its patrol vehicles have been struck by motorists 12 times so far this year. Eight CSP vehicles were hit by drivers in all of 2022.
