An officer was driving down an Oregon highway one night, but what happened that night was nothing like what he had seen before and it was terrifying. When an officer drives his car in the middle of the night, he usually does so in case someone is in a dangerous situation or a driver is in an unstable state (alcohol or drugs) that could risk the life of others on the road. .
But what an officer would never expect is to see someone walking right in the middle of a freeway lane – especially in the dark of night. And even if that happened, you would first think of an adult but never of a child. But to his surprise, that’s exactly what happened with this officer.
The officer stopped a short distance away and started staring at the small figure trying to believe what he was actually seeing. This is a strong reminder to all drivers on the road: the unexpected can happen, careful attention is required. The small child, visibly disoriented, immediately ran towards the police car when the car’s headlights brought him to him.
The officer rushed outside immediately to retrieve the lone child. But moments later, a tractor-trailer drove right past them in the next lane. The little boy’s life could end at this moment if the officer arrives at the right time.
Deputy Gautney found out the whole story. The child’s parents were already looking for their son. They were terrified that something could happen to him. He wandered around when the family was in a community gathering. Fortunately, shortly after the rescue, the deputy took the boy to his parents.
The video was released by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office with the intention of “‘not ridiculing or questioning those involved’, but warning drivers to take extra care when driving as they could face unexpected conditions”.
