'It's a miracle ... that I am here,' Ramsey County deputy says

Heron Marquez Estrada
Star Tribune
May 20, 2005

Ramsey County sheriff's deputy Glen Pothen never saw the pickup truck that hit him. He only heard it, then felt it propel him from the side of the road and into some marshy ground.

"I feel very lucky, very fortunate to be alive," Pothen said Thursday at a news conference. "It's a miracle. It's only by the grace of God that I am here."

Pothen, 35, was thrown 20 to 25 feet after being hit Wednesday morning while helping motorist Tiffany Whitlow. Her car had gone off the road at the juncture of Interstate Hwys. 35E and 694 in Little Canada because of wet weather. Pothen had stopped to assist a State Patrol trooper with Whitlow's car.

The incident was captured on video by the trooper's dashboard camera. The remarkable video, shown at the top of just about every newscast in the Twin Cities on Wednesday night, has since been picked up all over the world.

On the tape, Whitlow, 22, of Circle Pines, is almost struck in the head by the oncoming truck.

"I do not remember hearing anything," she said. "I just looked up by instinct. I did not realize I was that close. I perceived it as [being] 4 or 5 feet back."

On Thursday, more than 24 hours after the incident, no one could explain how Pothen managed to escape serious injury. He thinks it helped that he landed on soft ground.

He also said he believes his gun holster and gun absorbed much of the impact.

The State Patrol is investigating the incident for possible charges against the 40-year-old truck driver from White Bear Lake, Capt. Jay Swanson said.

Swanson said the State Patrol and Fletcher decided to release the video as a warning to drivers locally and nationwide to give emergency personnel room as they work on the side of the road.

Minnesota state law says motorists must move one lane away when they see flashing lights on a highway.

Mary Pothen said she watched the video with her husband Wednesday afternoon at home, several hours after he was released from Regions Hospital in St. Paul with only bumps and bruises.

"It was difficult to see, but thank God he's still here," she said Thursday. "Everyone who is married to someone in law enforcement has some concern for their line of work. ...

'It's a miracle ... that I am here,' Ramsey County deputy says