'Frightening' Video Shows Distracted Driver Hitting Squad: Police

NEW HOPE, MN — Police say a "frightening" video released Tuesday shows a distracted driver hitting a New Hope squad car this summer. Authorities are using the video to remind drivers of how dangerous it is to take your eyes off the road.

The collision occurred at 42nd Avenue and Boone Avenue on Aug. 6. Both officer Tony Gust and the other driver survived, but state officials say it could have been much worse.

"It still gets me every time seeing that," Gust said at a news conference Tuesday. "It's such a blur that you don't really realize the severity of what happened."

The driver admitted she was looking down to grab a drink when the crash occurred, according to police. She was cited for failing to stop at a red light.

Over the last five years in Minnesota, distracted or inattentive driving was a contributing factor in one in five crashes, resulting in an average of 53 deaths and 221 serious injuries each year, according to the Department of Safety.

Texting citations have increased 331 percent in the last five years:

• 2017: 7,357
• 2012: 1,707

The Dakota County Sheriff’s Office and partnering agencies will be conducting a one-day extra distracted driving enforcement detail from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 10 to remind motorists to focus on driving.

Between 2013 and 2017, seven people died and more than 2,000 people were injured in Dakota County due to distracted driving-related crashes.

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