FHP trooper who risked her life to stop wrong way driver, speaks out

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. – A Florida Highway Patrol trooper who risked her life to stop a wrong way driver on a Tampa roadway, talked about her experience on Thursday.

Master Trooper Toni Schuck is being called a hero, after she used her patrol car to stop a suspected drunk driver in Tampa.

Authorities were alerted to the driver, who was headed toward the route of a race, where thousands of runners were participating.

Schuck used her patrol vehicle to stop the speeding suspect head on. The whole encounter was captured on her dashboard camera.

She was also injured in the crash, but insists she was saved by a guardian angel.

“I’ve done this for 26 years and I’ve never been in this position, where I had to put myself for someone else,” said Schuck.

Schuck was able walk out of her wrecked vehicle and to an ambulance for treatment following the collision.

Authorities say the driver who was going the wrong way was drunk. The Trooper says she plans to return to the job once she recovers from the incident.


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Eden Checkol co-anchors Local 10's 10 p.m. weeknight newscast on WSFL and also reports on WPLG newscasts. She’s a Minnesota native who is thrilled to leave the snow behind and call South Florida home.

Veronica Crespo writes for Local10.com and also oversees the Español section of the website. Born and raised in Miami, she graduated from the University of Miami, where she studied broadcast journalism and Spanish.

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