An Indian River County sheriff’s deputy and his K-9 partner had a close call after their patrol vehicle was struck by an alleged reckless driver who was reportedly traveling nearly 100 mph early Wednesday morning.

Deputy R.T. Williams described the incident, explaining that he was on patrol when he saw the driver approaching at high speed. “And as I saw him, I started to slow down to veer off the road, and before I could even get off the road, he had already come across the middle line, sideswiped me, hit me, came across here and ended up — that’s where his car ended up there, and I ended up a little bit further south on 43rd Avenue,” Williams said.

Details of the Crash

Investigators said Oliver Gachelin lost control while navigating a curve and slammed into the rear driver’s side of the patrol vehicle. Williams showed the damage to his patrol vehicle and confirmed that his K-9 partner, Remy, was in the back seat at the time of the crash. “So, my dog was in the back. Remy was in the back sleeping like he normally does on a good night whenever it’s slow, and then he was woken up by a nice, sudden bang!” Williams said.

Remy was checked on after the crash and is doing fine. Williams reflected on the incident, noting how close he came to a head-on collision. “I didn’t realize how close I was to getting hit head-on until I reviewed the video, and then it kind of set in like how close I was getting hit head-on on my driver’s side door. So, God is good. That’s all I can say,” Williams said.

When asked about his message to drivers, Williams emphasized the importance of safe driving. “Slow down,” Williams said.

Original reporting: WPBF (Treasure Coast / Hearst) — read the source article.