Policemen given bravery award for initiating 70mph head-on crash to stop dementia sufferer

Two police officers, who risked a head-on collision to prevent an elderly dementia sufferer from crashing into oncoming cars as he drove the wrong way on the motorway, have been honored. PCs Craig Graves and Steven Hudson have received a Chief Constable’s Commendation for bravery after safely stopping the man’s Honda Jazz as it traveled at 70mph towards them in August 2014, ensuring both the 77-year-old and other road users remained uninjured.

The elderly man had been reported missing and police had received numerous calls after his car was spotted traveling southwards on the northbound carriageway of the M6 Toll, near Sutton Coldfield. Traffic officers PCs Graves and Hudson were asked to put on a rolling road block to slow down vehicles coming towards the Honda and create space for motorway police to catch up with the car. However, the Honda outran the officers and continued to travel at speed towards the road block.
Dashcam footage shows how the pair, on spotting the Honda approaching, positioned their car to prevent it reaching the cars behind them, forcing the Honda into the central reservation. PC Hudson suffered with bruising and whiplash for more than a week after the collision. Chief Constable Chris Sims presented PCs Graves and Hudson with their commendations at an awards ceremony. They were nominated by their sergeant, Paul Talbot, for their “outstanding display of serving the public and protecting them from harm”.

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On receiving his award, PC Graves said: “I thought the driver of the Honda would see our lights and slow to a stop, but he didn’t and just kept coming towards us. I turned slightly to the left in order to make contact while lessening the sudden impact, forcing the vehicle into the central reservation. Fortunately this worked but contrary to what I said on the in-car video, there was considerable damage to our vehicle. The vehicle directly behind us, which would have been in the path of the Honda, contained a dad and his three young children, so it was very fortunate the end result was successful and nobody was seriously injured. I believe we were just doing our job.”