Tow Truck Driver Recounts Frightening S. St. Paul Crash
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A crash in South St. Paul Tuesday morning shows just how dangerous it can be for emergency workers responding to accidents.
A car hit a Minnesota State Patrol squad car, pinning the trooper inside and throwing tow truck driver Warren Duran onto a busy road.
"My heart was pumping a million miles an hour," Duran said. "I was shaken up because I've never had anything like this happen before."
Duran, who works for Southeast Towing, was getting ready to tow a car on Interstate 494 and Concord Street when a driver lost control, hitting a squad car -- which then subsequently hit the car Duran was working on.
"I'm underneath the right side of the vehicle hooking my chain up, and I hear a bang," Duran said.
And he was in about the most vulnerable position he could be in. The crash caused a chain reaction, throwing Duran onto a busy road in a split second.
"This threw me like I've never been thrown before," he said.
The immediate impact didn't cause any serious injuries. The bigger concern for Duran in that moment was where he ended up on the freeway.
He landed on his side in the left lane of 494, known by drivers as the "fast lane."
"The first thing I thought of was, 'I hope no one's in the fast lane,' because nobody pulls over --nobody slows down or pulls over for any of us," he said.
He got lucky. No cars were in that lane at that moment.
Duran ran to see if the 49-year-old state trooper, who was now trapped in his car, was okay. Luckily, the trooper was fine.
"Both of us just looked at each other and prayed to God that we're still alive," Duran said. "It scared me. It woke me up."
He says his back was sore, but other than that he didn't have any injuries.
The trooper was also fine, but had to be pulled out of his patrol car.
The state patrol says it's another good reminder to slow down, and pull over for all emergency vehicles.
