VIDEO: Town and Country officer narrowly avoids being struck on highway

Warning: The video above may be disturbing to watch

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - A Town and Country officer narrowly avoided being struck by a distracted driver last weekend, dash-camera footage shows.

According to the Town and Country Police Department, officers were assisting multiple motorists with flat tires on a highway.

The video shows one of the responding officers grabbing traffic cones out of a cruiser that was blocking a lane of traffic near the pulled-over motorists. Then, a car is seen continuing to drive down the blocked lane, over a traffic cone that had already been placed into the roadway.

The video shows an officer jumping out of the way at the last minute before the driver hit the cruiser.

“There were no squealing tires. No warning sounds. Our officer just happened to look up at exactly the right moment. The driver didn’t even apply their brakes until after driving over a traffic cone,” the department wrote in a social media post.

According to the department, the driver admitted to being on their phone. That driver was issued several citations for the crash.

“We share this video because we desperately want you to understand what is at stake every time you get behind the wheel. Please. Put your phone down. Slow down. Pay attention. Move over,” the department wrote. “Our officers know there are risks that come with putting on the uniform. But being struck by someone who simply wasn’t paying attention should never be one of them.”