ODESSA, Fla. — Deputy Ryan Cook calls what happened to him after the crash a “momentary blackout.”
“I’ve done mixed martial arts my whole life so I’m very aware of what happens when you get knocked out,” he said.
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He was stopped Tuesday for a disabled food truck on State Road 54 that was blocking the right lane.
His flashing lights were on and there were even traffic cones behind him.
“When I was in back of the car previously putting the two cones down, cars were just ripping. I’m pretty sure it’s a 55 mph zone. That means people are going 65 to 70.”
Deputy Cook had a feeling something bad might happen.
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As he sat in his patrol car, he saw an industrial van headed right for him in his rear view mirror.
“Alright, here we go. I grabbed the steering wheel and boom,” he recalled.
Once he regained consciousness, Cook was okay.
The driver who hit him was fine too. He told the deputy he just didn’t see him.
The lessons here are ones you’ve probably heard before.
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First off, slow down — especially when you see emergency vehicles. When you see those flashing lights, move over.
“My sergeant put it into context for me. That’s why we are there. We are there to put ourselves potentially into harm's way to keep average citizens safe," said Cook.
As it turned out, the disabled truck Deputy Cook was trying to help in the first place had run out of gas, and the driver wasn’t even around.
