Posted on 08/06/2006 6:50:22 AM PDT by dead
GREAT FALLS, Mont. - A state Highway Patrol officer who crashed while trying to catch up to a speeding motorist got some aid from an unlikely source — the man he was chasing.
The patrolman, Frank Nowakowski, was uninjured in the crash Wednesday.
Nowakowski was nearing the end of his shift along Interstate 15 when a vehicle sped by at more than 95 mph in the opposite lanes.
Nowakowski crossed the median and took off after the driver, reaching speeds of 120 mph in an effort to catch up. Nowakowski said he had just decided to end the pursuit for safety reasons when one of the rear tires of his cruiser blew out, sending his patrol car careering off the highway and through a barbed-wire fence.
"This happened in a heartbeat," he said. "I had no idea."
Moments later, the man he had been trying to stop, whom the patrol identified only as a Bozeman man, was at his side at the crash scene.
Trooper David Braggs said the driver apparently was unaware that Nowakowski was trying to pull him over, but saw a large cloud of dust in his rearview mirror, knew there had been an accident and turned around to help.
The man, who later confessed to being late for an appointment, agreed to give officers a statement, and if nothing else, had the opportunity to apologize.
"It was very heartfelt," said Nowakowski. "He felt bad because there could have been some lousy consequences."
Capt. Butch Huseby of the Highway Patrol called it "amazing" and "fortunate" the trooper's car didn't roll.
I like the "I didn't know I was being pursued" angle.
I thought Montana didn't have speed limits.
at that speed, i can't imagine being aware of much of anything other than the skin on your face being blown back.
They do now 75mph so they can get fed funds.
But keep it under 95mph and they will leave you alone.
A cop once followed me for nearly two miles before I finally looked into my rearview mirror and realized he was there. I had just gotten news that I was about to be laid off from my job, and my mind was completely elsewhere.
In the late 1960's I worked in Northeast Montana, driving several hundred miles each day. The speed limits then were "Resonable and Prudent." We would routinely drive 75 to 80 on most roads where conditions allowed it. I only saw one accident in two years and it was more alcohol related than speed.
In my younger days ... I had a hot rod Corvette and did drive at those speeds on backroads ... it is very easy not to know that one is being chased.
Reminds me of an incident that happened to a friend who lives out in the desert. He had some kind of insanely overpowered car back then. He was tooling along in the middle of nowhere at about 130+. He saw the red and blues appear in the rear-view mirror, then recede into the distance.
He pulled over and waited for the trooper to catch up. Trooper wrote him down to 85 in exchange for the courtesy.
You thought right. Well, kinda.
Conditions dictate maximum speeds, in the judgement of the citing officer, not by the offending driver.
And there are speed limits after dark.
So, although it sounds like there aren't speed limits in Montana, there are. You just don't know how fast someone else thinks is too fast. And, it's best to keep it under 70 mph in the last week of the month.
Those non-existent quotas for traffic tickets, y'know.
Those backroads aren't safe at all. At least that's my conclusion now that I have a problem with deer, (Thank you Jesus I'm still here after hitting THREE in the last few years. I drive like a Grandma now
I'm late, I'm late
For a very important date
No time to say "Hello", "Goodbye"
I'm late, I'm late, I'm late
No, no, no, no
No, no, no, I'm overdue
I'm really stew
No time to say "Goodbye", "Hello"
I'm late, I'm late, I'm late
It seems my information is outdated in the above post
I'm older and hopefully wiser now too ...
I used that line 25 years ago - without success. :)
Maybe I missed it, but did the guy still get the ticket?
If they can't keep up are they really chasing you?
Assuming everything in the article is true, I would hope that the trooper just let him off with a warning. Last time I drove through Montana (at night), my biggest concern was hitting a deer on the highway.
Apropos of speeding, anyone have good suggestions for radar detectors? (They would at least let you know that the police are following you!)
I was stopped by a CHP after I had pulled over to get gas. He said that he had been chasing me for about 5 miles and clocked me at 120 MPH ... he then asked me how long I had been a clamper. We talked for a while and then he left ... NO TICKET !!!
A brother in law was clocked at 156 mph on the Seaney Stretch in the U.P. of Mich late at night...
The only other car on the 25 mile stretch was a state trooper travelling in the opposite direction...The state police didn't bother to pursue...They did however put up a roadblock closer to St. Ignace...
Brother in law of course stopped when he approached the roadblock...The police had him lift the hood to ogle his engine...
A corvette with a blue printed and balanced, Baker built 427...
They shot the bull for a few about cars and then told him to ease up a bit and sent him on his way...
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