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Sandra Yi ReportingEllis Alexander: "In seven years, that's the closest I've come to being a hood ornament or being killed, I think."
Two Utah Highway Patrol Troopers narrowly escape death. Today they're talking about their harrowing experience.
The roads were icy Tuesday morning when the troopers responded to a crash on I-84 in Weber Canyon. That's when a semi nearly hit them on the side of the road.
The two-trailer semi carrying soda cans slammed into the troopers' patrol car. Amazingly, both troopers got out of the way just before impact. Now troopers James Banks and Ellis Alexander are counting their blessings.
James Banks, Utah Highway Patrol Trooper: "I'm glad to be alive, I'm glad to be here. I'm glad Trooper Alexander is here. I'm just grateful to be alive."
Ellis Alexander, UHP Trooper: "It was one for the memories."
Early Tuesday morning the troopers responded to a two-car crash along a stretch of road in Weber Canyon.
Ellis Alexander: "We could feel the roads were slick. You could tell the canyon was iced over."
They called for help and began to close the roads. But in minutes, eight cars and a semi were involved.
Ellis Alexander: "It just started getting more and more chaotic."
It didn't end there. The troopers then spotted a semi with two trailers coming around the curb, heading straight for them.
Ellis Alexander: "And he was moving really fast, and we realized he was not going to be able to stop."
Alexander ran, but slick roads didn't make the escape easy.
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Ellis Alexander: "I sat there and kind of did the Scooby Doo run, where I ran in place as fast as I could, cause I was on the ice, I couldn't get any traction. But I was able to get out from in front of the truck."
Meantime, instinct told Trooper Banks to jump over the wall. He held onto the edge and dangled 40 feet in the air, with nothing but the Weber River and railroad tracks below him.
James Banks: "I knew I wasn't going to be able to outrun it on the ice, and that's why I decided to go over the side."
Ellis Alexander: "Hands down, if he wouldn't have jumped over the wall, he would have been killed, guaranteed."
The semi slammed into Trooper Banks' patrol car. Alexander described the impact.
Ellis Alexander: "It was amazing, it was kind of like a movie where you see the bad guy steals the semi truck, like Smokey and a Bandit movie, where they run over all the police cars and everything. It was crazy. He went through the police vehicle and those cars like it was nothing."
The two came face to face with danger, but they don't think twice about it.
Ellis Alexander: "It kind of comes with the job. I'm going to keep doing it. I love it."
Amazingly, no one was seriously hurt in the crash. Several drivers were cited for speeding and following too close. The troopers say this is a reminder for all drivers to slow down when there's a patrol car with its lights on.
