A police dog has been thrown from a vehicle after being hit by a reckless Mercedes driver, with officers saying an unlicensed teenager was behind the wheel when he smashed into the unmarked patrol car.

The dramatic crash on the Tullamarine Freeway in Melbourne’s north sent the police vehicle airborne, flipping over a barrier with an officer behind the wheel and Rocco, a five-year-old German shepherd, in the back.

“That they’ve both got out of the vehicle relatively unscathed is nothing more than a miracle to be quite honest,” Acting Senior Sergeant Mark Boysen said.

The duo were on their way to work when the police dog was thrown onto the road during the high-impact collision.

“Massive force has taken place here, yeah. It’s literally opened the back of the car up like a can opener,”

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