Florida: Tampa officer recalls being nearly hit by DUI driver

Tampa Police Officer Scott Anderson has spent his career trying to keep drunken drivers off the road. But, on Saturday, he almost became a victim when a driver, who investigators say was drunk, hit his patrol car.

Anderson was assisting other officers who had made a DUI stop on Kennedy Boulevard near Orleans Avenue. He was not in his car, but the lights were still flashing when Nicole Schnell crashed into his cruiser. "If I would have been in that car I could have been hurt, I could have been in the hospital or worse," said Anderson. "She hit the car so hard it knocked the sirens on. She claims she didn't see the cop cars or the lights. Obviously, she was definitely intoxicated when she hit the back of my cop car."

According to investigators, Schnell's blood alcohol content was almost double the legal limit at more than .15. "All in all, in one traffic stop, we ended up with a couple crashed cars, 2 DUIs, but luckily everybody was safe and not injured," said Anderson.  He said the goal every night for himself and other officers is to make it home and that night he almost became a statistic. Anderson said it never would have happened had Schnell made plans to get home a different way. "There's no reason we should see it. It's not worth killing someone or ending up in prison for years just because you didn't to drink and drive."

If you spot a driver you believe is intoxicated officers tell us you should call 911.