Shocking dashcam shows deputy thrown from side of highway crash
CANADIAN COUNTY, Okla. (KFOR) — Devastating police dash camera footage shows the moment a deputy is struck by a vehicle during a traffic stop.
Early morning on January 5th, Deputy Jose Tayahua-Mendoza was conducting a routine stop near Interstate 40 and Garth Brooks Boulevard.
The video shows Mendoza standing on the passenger side of the vehicle he had stooped.
"The reason I stopped you is, you have no tag on your vehicle," said Mendoza in the video.
The driver of the vehicle is the son of Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat, and he was about to be let go when all of a sudden a white pick-up truck slams into his car.
The impact sends Mendoza flying while the vehicle spins completely around and the truck smashes all the way back into a fence.
The video shows Mendoza struggling in the grass, but is able to call for help.
"Oh my god," said Mendoza in the video. "I just got hit by a vehicle, I need medical."
Several minutes pass before you can see a trooper rushing to the scene.
"Hey! You okay brother?," asked the Trooper in the video. "You just hang tight okay."
The trooper than can be heard asking Mendoza if his leg is okay.
Meanwhile in the background, you can see movement between the two wrecked cars.
Senator Treat tells News 4 his son was in the hospital for 20 days but is recovering well.
The senator shared a photo of the two together at an event Friday on social media.
In a statement about his son he said,
He has recovered remarkably well for the type of life-threatening injuries he sustained. We appreciate all of the support and prayers, and especially the expert care from first responders, and the medical facilities he was at
Statement from Greg and Maressa Treat
Ten minutes pass in the video before paramedics finally arrive.
Mendoza left with several broken bones and is now recovering in a rehabilitation facility.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said this investigation is ongoing however they believe the driver of the pick-up was sleepy.
He was also taken to the hospital but has since been released.