[Video] Illinois police help woman 20 weeks pregnant stop her car with failed brakes

A terrifying incident in Williamson County, Illinois, ended with an unusual rescue by a sheriff’s deputy. In the early morning on December 2, a pregnant woman found herself in a life-threatening situation when her car’s brakes failed, sending her toward a freezing lake. You can watch the police footage below.

The ordeal started with a panicked 911 call. “I need help. My brakes won’t stop,” the woman said, her voice filled with fear. She was 20 weeks pregnant. Her Chevrolet, traveling at about 30 miles per hour on a dark rural road, headed to a dead-end near the lake.

Dispatchers immediately coordinated a response. They guided the woman to make a critical right turn to avoid plunging into the water.

Meanwhile, deputies rushed to intercept the vehicle. 

Deputy Tyler Coffey was the first to reach the runaway car. He used a rolling roadblock maneuver, placing his patrol car in front of the woman’s vehicle. 

“Her brake lights were on, but the car wasn’t slowing,” Coffey explained. He let the woman’s car gently bump his patrol car’s rear bumper, allowing both vehicles to come to a gradual stop.

During the nerve-wracking moments before the car stopped, the woman urgently called out to the dispatcher, “I’m going to hit the cop!” She didn’t seem to realize the deputies were intentionally positioning themselves to help her.

CBS News shared that the woman, her dog, and the responding deputies were unharmed, and both vehicles only had minor damage.

Mechanically, the issue with the woman’s Chevrolet could have been caused by a stuck accelerator, hydraulic brake failure, or a malfunctioning electronic system. Shifting the car into neutral could help slow a vehicle. Turning the engine off is another option, though this could make steering more difficult. Using the parking brake gradually might have also helped stop the car. Without knowing the exact issue, though, it’s difficult to guess what else could have helped the woman stop without police intervention.