OKLAHOMA CITY --
Two Garvin County deputies are counting their blessings after, they said, a drunken driver smashed into the back of their cruiser, destroying the car.
After spending four days in the hospital, Garvin County Sheriff’s deputy Jerry Rushing was able to see the car that he was pulled from.
“I'm glad to be alive and lucky to be alive,” he said.
Rushing and his partner, Robbie Duncan, were involved in a high-speed chase during the weekend.
Police said 20-year-old Ferman Velasco was being pursued by Davis police on Interstate 35 northbound.
Authorities said Velasco was driving under the influence of alcohol.
The Garvin County undersheriff said Rushing and Duncan were ahead of the pursuit and were called to assist in the chase.
However, Rushing said he saw Velasco’s car approaching from behind.
“I told my partner ‘Look out. We're going to get hit,'” Rushing said.
The gold Lexus that Velasco was driving, police said, hit a pole and rolled over, trapping the deputies inside their car.
“I was still on the driver's side -- got my seatbelt off and got his off and I kept complaining that my leg hurt,” Rushing said.
Deputy Rushing was pinned underneath the steering wheel, the undersheriff said, and the "Jaws of Life" were used to get the deputy out of the car.
“It seemed like an eternity,” Rushing said. “It really wasn't probably 20 minutes or so.”
Garvin County Undersheriff Jim Mullett said he’s not worried about the car, but just wants his deputies to be taken care of.
Duncan was released from the hospital within a day, but Rushing suffered deep bruising that his wife Rexanne Rushing said are hard to look at.
“Be careful when you drink and drive, don't put your spouse through this please or anybody,” she said.
Velasco faces several charges including driving under the influence and attempting to elude authorities.
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