EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE: You can not keep a good officer down

Wilmington, NC (WWAY) — Let’s talk extraordinary. Back in 2008, Wilmington Police Officer Dwayne Ouellette was hit by a drunk driver while on-duty. Fast forward to the present day and you’ll find Officer Ouellette isn’t slowing his efforts to keep the roads safe in what can be dangerous times on the roads. His dedication makes him our Extraordinary Person of the Week.

“It’s too late once it happens,” Officer Dwayne Ouellette said. “Once you see those blue lights, or wreck into somebody, you can’t undo what’s been done at that point.”

Dwayne Ouellette joined the Wilmington Police Department more than 15 years ago to give back to the community. “I know that sounds like a generic answer from a lot of people,” Ouellette said of giving back, “but that really was my passion when I started and it still is to this day.”

That ‘passion’ wasn’t swayed the night a traffic stop became a multi-car accident.
“I remember I was getting out of the car,” Ouellette said. “I was opening the door, had the ticket in my hand. I always look in the rear view mirror and I saw a vehicle actually start to drive off the road. As I was getting out of the car I was hit by a driver going 60 miles per hour. No serious injury. No major injuries. ”

A new public service announcement by the Wilmington Police Department features Officer Ouellette talking about the night a drunk driver slammed into him back in 2008.
(Click here to see PSA)
He took about a month to recover and then he was back on the traffic beat.

“When I first came back to work there were times I was uneasy,” Ouellette said. ” I didn’t like stopping cars anywhere near the road.  But as time goes on you get back into your routine.”
Routine has him back as a leader on the roads as a set of protective eyes that help save lives in the Port City.

“Call a friend to come by and get you. DWI’s can be prevented,” he says in the PSA.

Officer Ouellette, looking our for our safety is an EXTRAORDINARY way to give back to the community.

BTW, Officer Ouellette is also a Veteran. He served in the Marines before joining the WPD.