Colorado State Trooper narrowly misses being hit by car

DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) -- A Colorado State Trooper had a close call last week when a car he pulled over was struck by another vehicle on I-25 near the 58th Street exit in Denver.

Trooper Hood was making the stop when the car pulled over onto the left side of the freeway. After speaking briefly with the person, Hood walked away. Seconds later another vehicle careened into the parked car, sending it flying.

Master Trooper Gary Cutler said unfortunately, it's not uncommon to have near-death experiences on highways because people don't always follow safe driving practices.

"We’ve had a lot of near misses and also patrol cars hit and troopers hit over the years," Cutler said.

Luckily, no one was seriously injured this time, but Cutler said these situations don't always have a happy ending.

In general, Trooper Cutler said to pull off to the right side of the highway if you're being pulled over or safely exit the freeway to a safe location. Cutler said, as long as you have your blinker on and slow down to let the trooper know you see them, it's okay to take your time.

If you do however end up on the left side of the freeway when being pulled over, stay put.

"It’s sometimes more dangerous when they’ve stopped on that left to move them over to the right because [...] a lot of times they will just go ahead and almost do almost a right turn or a quick merge that could cause other crashes," said Cutler.