Man lucky to be alive after car malfunctions, reaches speeds of over 100 mph

CLAY COUNTY, Minn. (KVLY/Gray News) - A man said he is lucky to be alive after his car malfunctioned and reached speeds over 100 miles per hour in Minnesota.

Sam Dutcher was driving his 2022 Honda Pilot and could not get it to stop, so he called 911.

He told dispatchers that his car continued to accelerate, would not shift into neutral and the braking system was not responding. He said he could not turn the car off either.

Minnesota State Patrol Sgt. Jesse Grabow said Clay County Deputy Zach Gruver caught up to Dutcher’s vehicle, which reached 113 mph.

He instructed Dutcher to crash into the back of the squad car and Gruver applied his brakes until both vehicles were able to stop.

“It’s not very often a sheriff’s deputy orders you to hit a State Patrol vehicle, but hitting Trooper Zach Gruver’s squad helped save 18-year-old Sam Dutcher’s life,” Minnesota State Patrol said.

District Manager of Matt’s Automotive Vernon Newman said Dutcher did everything right in his case.

He remained calm, tried to put the car into neutral, tried the emergency brake, tried turning it off and called 911.

In a similar incident in June, a woman was driving in Barnes County, North Dakota, when her gas pedal got stuck causing her vehicle to reach speeds of more than 90 miles per hour.

Deputies raced alongside the woman in a 2023 Hyundai Tucson. She was able to drive the car into the median and crash into the barrier cables to get the vehicle to stop.

“Vehicles these days are equipped with so many different computers,” Newman said. “All of these computers have to talk to each other. If one malfunctions, it can send a disruption down the circuit.”

Newman said it is important not to ignore any lights on your dashboard.

“Much like your computers at home, there are software updates available for vehicles. They are constantly being released,” Newman said

In both instances, authorities say it was a team effort. Dispatchers, deputies and troopers all worked together to keep everyone safe.

“I hope nothing like this ever happens again, but hope is not a plan,” Grabow said. “Hope is not a strategy. So, at the same time, be aware. That’s really what we hope to gain from this.”

Hyundai released the following statement regarding the woman’s car malfunctioning:

“Hyundai became aware of this incident soon after it occurred and conducted an immediate investigation. As part of this investigation, we thoroughly inspected the vehicle and completed a detailed analysis. No diagnostic codes were found related to throttle, brakes, steering, or cruise control. During a test drive by our inspector, all of these systems operated as designed. Based on our investigation, the driver’s allegations could not be substantiated. We are thankful that no one was injured. As with all 2023 MY vehicles, the subject vehicle was equipped with numerous failsafe features to prevent unintended acceleration, including a brake override system that decreases the throttle when the brake and gas pedals are depressed simultaneously.”

KVLY also reached out to Honda but has not gotten a response.

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