Driver nearly hits cop, smashes cop car on Ohio highway

An out-of-control driver nearly ran over a cop on the side of an icy highway in Ohio on Christmas Day before crashing into a police cruiser.

The terrifying moment, captured in footage from the cruiser’s dash cam, occurred in slippery conditions on Ohio State Route 2 around 11:15 a.m., according to local reports.

After the Willoughby cop responded to a single-car crash, he was seen standing on the shoulder of the freeway watching oncoming traffic when he suddenly veered off the road and jumped over the center median, according to footage obtained by Cleveland 19 broadcasts.

Seconds later, a Toyota Tundra sped towards him and slammed into the rear passenger side of the police cruiser parked on his shoulder.

A loud bang can be heard in the video as the van impacted, sending car parts flying through the air.

The truck ‘fishtailed’ and spun several times as it returned to the center of the carriageway before parking on its shoulder several meters in front of the officer, according to footage and the incident report .

The officer radioed that his cruiser had been « destroyed » and asked for another unit before adding that he was unharmed in the video.

« No injuries with me, I’ll check the driver, » he said over his police radio, then shouted at the passing car to slow down.

The 63-year-old driver was not injured, although the police cruiser sustained « disabling damage », according to the accident report.

Police believe the freezing conditions were a factor in both the initial single-car crash and the Toyota’s collision with the police cruiser.

Several residents commented on a Willoughby Police Department article about the accident that State Route 2 was covered in a sheet of ice on Christmas Day.

« We passed this white car a few minutes before that, » said one resident. « It was a layer of black ice over there! »

Others wrote that cars were « spinning everywhere » due to slippery pavement and « people were flying » despite the dangerous conditions.

“Route 2 was still covered in patches of ice in places over Christmas,” another driver wrote. « I left the freeway because it was so bad. »

The driver was ticketed for failing to drive and issued a court date, Cleveland 19 reported.