Deputy Stops Driver Suffering Medical Emergency With PIT Maneuver

(KNSI) – A Stearns County deputy used a PIT maneuver to stop a driver suffering a medical condition. On the evening of January 19th, the Minnesota State Patrol received a complaint that a truck had gone through a stop sign and was heading west on Highway 55 near Paynesville.

Stearns County Sheriff’s Office Captain Jon Lentz says that Deputy Matt Mayers found the vehicle less than a minute later.

“Deputy Mayers sees him coming at him in his lane. He turns his car around and catches up to him and can see there is some wandering within his lane. And within a matter of seconds, the vehicle then begins to weave from shoulder to shoulder.”

Captian Lentz says this goes on for about two and a half miles and at speeds of around 35 mph. At one point, the driver entered the ditch.

“and then shortly after that time, because the speeds were low enough, there was no other traffic, the road was wide enough so, Deputy Mayers could successfully use the PIT maneuver to spin the vehicle out and end the pursuit at that point.”

Deputy Mayers approached the truck, and the driver mentioned he had diabetes and hadn’t tested his blood sugar levels for a while. An ambulance was called and found the driver’s levels were dangerously low. The driver was taken to the hospital and has since recovered.

Lentz says getting the truck stopped saved the driver’s life or the life of another motorist.

“anytime you get into a diabetic reaction, it’s classified as a medical emergency. So you have that aspect of it, you also have the fact that thankfully, in this case, in the very beginning of Deputy Mayers turnaround and catching up the vehicle, there was one oncoming car; after that point, there was no oncoming traffic.”

There was some minor damage to the truck and the squad car.

___