HARRIS COUNTY, Texas —Two Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputies were involved in a head-on collision with a wrong-way driver, KHOU reported.
The Feb. 25 incident occurred when Deputies Josh Blair and Louie Ayala responded to reports of a wrong-way driver heading eastbound in the westbound lanes, according to the report. The deputies positioned themselves in the freeway’s middle lanes until they spotted the vehicle’s headlights.
“I told him to get in the fast lane ... we get in the fast lane, it’s foggy. By the time we got into the fast lane, (the vehicle was) right up on us and hit us before we knew where we were at,”
Blair said Ayala, who had only been on patrol for 32 days, slowed the patrol vehicle to about 15 mph before impact, reducing the crash’s severity, according to the report.
“I was ready for the worst-case scenario: to take the hit. And that’s exactly what I did,” Ayala said.
Dashcam footage captured the moment of impact. Both deputies walked away with minor injuries but acknowledged how deadly the situation could have been.
“Hearing the stories over the years of deputies getting killed head-on … it could’ve been us,” Blair said.
Authorities later arrested the driver on a DWI charge, according to the report. After the crash, he reportedly asked deputies, “Why did you hit me so hard?”
Harris County officials commended the deputies for their actions, calling the crash a life-saving intervention that prevented a potential tragedy, according to the report.
