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A police officer thought he was going to die when he was run down by a car and dragged 40m along the road and through a fence before being smashed into the side of a building.
Senior Constable Sean Hurley, 46, said he was praying for his life during the incident with an alleged drink-driver in Wanaka yesterday morning.
He suffered a broken right leg, a wrenched and badly bruised shoulder, severe neck injuries, and suspected broken bones in his left foot.
"I could see down into Bullock Creek and the wall of the building coming up as I was dragged through the fence - I know I just missed being pinned against a tree.
"Then the car slammed into the wall and threw me clear.
"I thought I was dead."
Despite his injuries, Mr Hurley hauled himself up off the ground and, "running on adrenaline", arrested the 18-year-old female driver, who "was busy wailing about her car and whether her dog was hurt".
Mr Hurley said he was in a lot of pain and was forced to restrain the girl when she tried to run away.
He dragged her back to his police car on the opposite side of the road and radioed for help from the Southern Police Communications Office in Christchurch, which notified the seven off-duty Wanaka police officers.
After the arrest, Mr Hurley drove the girl to the Wanaka police station and waited "what seemed a very long time" for his back-up to arrive.
"You're in a situation where you have to control yourself. It was only when someone was there to process her that I was able to let go and my normal reactions kicked in," he said.
Wanaka GP Andrew McLeod was called to the police station and an ambulance arrived about 4am when Mr Hurley, suffering from shock, was taken in a neck brace and strapped to a stretcher to the Wanaka Medical Centre.
Mr Hurley said he thought he had survived purely because he was able to pull the top half of his body into the teenager's car as she drove off.
"I went for her car keys and as she took off I tried to drag myself in and hang on, because I was worried I was going to get dragged underneath."
He said the girl had recorded a breath test level which was more than three times the legal limit for an under-20 driver. She is likely to face a number of charges.
- OTAGO DAILY TIMES
