Renewed calls are coming for lawmakers to consider first responder safety on the road after an off-duty state trooper was hit by a car while helping a driver on the side of the Parkway West in August.
A state trooper in Butler County says that he was heading home from a concert when he stopped in his personal car to help at an accident involving a car and tow truck. When he got out of his car with his safety vest and was setting up to divert traffic, he was hit.
“It had to be a split second later I saw the headlights and I was airborne over top of the car,” Trooper Josh Osche said.
Both of his legs were broken and the tow truck driver Blair Johnson dragged him off the road to safety.
“I owe my life to him I’m certain of that because there was a bunch of traffic coming up in the other lane,” Trooper Osche said. “So I’m without question alive today because of what he did for me.”
Today, his mom Leslie Osche, who’s also a Butler County commissioner, shared his story at an event for Crash Responder Safety Week at the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission.
“We believe as a family of first responders and officials that we have a responsibility and duty here to make sure people understand what this means to families and what happens,” Leslie Osche said.
She wants drivers to be more aware during traffic incidents.
As Trooper Osche recovers, he says he does not regret what he did that night.
“Had I not been there, there could have been a vehicle-on-vehicle collision, there could have been people killed. I survived and I’m satisfied with that,” Trooper Osche said.
Channel 11′s Jillian Hartmann spoke with the tow truck driver on the phone Tuesday afternoon. He said when he saw the trooper hit, it was his gut reaction to run out into the middle of the parkway to save him. He said he would do it again if he had to.
View the full story at wpxi.com