Dashcam footage was released showing a hero Florida Highway Patrol trooper Toni Schuck ram her car into an alleged drunk driver who had blown through a bunch of barricades in place to protect runners participating in a 10-kilometer charity race over the Sunshine Bridge south of Tampa:
Dashcam video shows Florida trooper drive into speeding DUI suspect's path to protect Skyway 10K runners https://t.co/fOxaNLiO56
— FOX 5 DC (@fox5dc) March 8, 2022
Trooper Shuck suffered serious injuries in the crash. From Fox 5:
FHP said 52-year-old Kristen Kay Watts of Sarasota slammed into Master Trooper Toni Schuck’s SUV on Sunday morning, leaving Schuck, 47, with serious injuries, after ignoring a series of roadblocks in place for the annual Skyway 10K.
“There’s no telling what would have happened had that vehicle actually reached all of those runners. The bottom line is these troopers saved dozens upon dozens of lives and saved even more people from serious bodily harm injury,” said Trooper Watson.
FHP said Schuck prevented a tragedy by directly putting herself in harm’s way in order to prevent others from getting hurt or killed.
And here’s the dashcam footage via the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and Florida Highway Patrol:
🚨HERO ALERT🚨
Yesterday, a drunk driver was heading toward the Skyway 10K route and FHP Trooper Toni Schuck selflessly placed her vehicle directly in the path of the drunk driver – preventing a tragedy. Thank you for your service, Trooper Schuck. We wish you a speedy recovery. pic.twitter.com/JDYd80sn3C— FLHSMV (@FLHSMV) March 7, 2022
This could’ve been a mass-casualty event:
Who runs the Sunshine Skyway Bridge? We do! 8,000 runners took to the the mighty Sunshine Skyway Bridge on foot for the 5th Annual Skyway 10K. 100% of proceeds go to the Armed Forces Families Foundation, which has generated nearly $2 million to benefit families of military. 🏃♂️☀️ pic.twitter.com/xhY04lyPca
— St. Pete/Clearwater (@VSPC) March 7, 2022
Yep. “Hero”:
Trooper Toni Schuck is no doubt a hero. She used her FHP vehicle to stop Kristen Watts of Sarasota. Trooper say Watts was driving impaired and blew through every barricade put up for the Skyway 10k. Thank you Trooper Schuck for your bravery. @fox13news pic.twitter.com/ZU7RRsRdqP
— Kim Kuizon FOX 13 (@kkuizon) March 7, 2022
And here’s what her patrol SUV looked like after the crash:
The Florida Highway Patrol said a trooper ended up hospitalized while trying to keep a DUI driver away from those attending the Skyway 10K. https://t.co/us9CpX4G89 pic.twitter.com/pT46wv4GaY
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) March 6, 2022
The latest report is that she’s at home recovering from her injuries:
Trooper Toni Schuck is a 26 year veteran of the Florida Highway Patrol. She was the last line of defense to the Skyway 10K runners. She used her vehicle and herself to protect countless lives. Tonight she is home recovering from her injuries with her family. @fox13news pic.twitter.com/iAyMvG5QQ0
— Kim Kuizon FOX 13 (@kkuizon) March 7, 2022
We wish her a speedy recovery.
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