‘Narrow brush with death.’ Watch pipes fly off truck toward Connecticut trooper’s car

A Connecticut state trooper “had a narrow brush with death” Wednesday, when two 1,500-pound pipes being hauled by an 18-wheeler came loose and flew at his patrol car like giant spears.

It happened about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday as the trooper, who was not identified, was investigating an accident on the shoulder of Interstate 95 near the coastal city of Stonington, the department posted on Facebook.

Dash cam video from the patrol car shows it took less than 14 seconds for the scene to play out, starting with the truck slamming on its brakes and swerving to avoid hitting the patrol car.

The truck stopped in time, but two 43-foot-long steel pipes on its trailer kept going. They first perforated the cab of the truck, then flew through its windshield. The pipes are then seen shooting past the patrol car, on the driver’s side.

Both the trooper and the truck driver came close to being killed, the department said, blaming the incident on an “unsecured load.” The pipes are used for gas lines, the department said on Facebook.

“No injuries to either the truck driver or State Trooper were sustained,” the department posted on Facebook. “The Trooper in the video is set back behind another Trooper, who was blocking the left lane due to an accident leaving a car disabled in that lane.”

The department shared photos showing the truck driver was inches away from where the pipes flew through the cab. The driver’s name was not released.

This story was originally published June 11, 2020 at 12:31 PM with the headline "‘Narrow brush with death.’ Watch pipes fly off truck toward Connecticut trooper’s car."