Trooper Speaks Out After Semi Hits Cruiser Head-On

An Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper, who is lucky to be alive, is speaking out for the first time after a semi-truck plowed into his patrol car.

The head-on highway crash happened near Weatherford during an icy day in late December. A blanket of ice covered much of Oklahoma on Dec. 21, 2013. Conditions on Interstate 40 were extremely dangerous, and troopers say drivers were going too fast for conditions.

The crash left Trooper Daniel Mosburg's cruiser mangled and smashed, but Mosburg walked away without a scratch.

"Looking at the damage, it went about as good as it could have gone," Mosburg said.

Mosburg was on I-40 helping a couple who had just crashed when he says cars started piling up on the Interstate. He says there were about eight collisions in an hour and a half near Weatherford. A man and his pregnant wife took refuge with Mosburg in his cruiser.

"I saw it coming," Mosburg said. "I just said, ‘Hang on. I think we're getting ready to get hit.'"

Authorities say the truck lost control as it hit a car, cable barrier and guard rail before slamming into Mosburg's car. Thankfully, the 18-wheeler missed people without protection on the side of I-40.

The man and wife inside the patrol car were shaken up but are now fine, according to OHP. Troopers say the truck driver was cited for driving too fast for conditions.

"If there's ice on the roads or it's raining really hard, people need to slow down," Mosburg said. "We have kind of a hard time getting that message across, but maybe this [story] will help."

OHP says it was forced to close part of I-40 on Dec. 21 to keep drivers safe.