BRADENTON, Fla — A newly-released video reveals the moments before an accused drunk driver crashed into a Florida Highway Patrol trooper's SUV not far from the Skyway 10K.
Authorities are calling Trooper Toni Schuck and another FHP trooper heroes after stopping the driver who was headed in the direction of runners.
At around 8:45 a.m. on Sunday, Kristen Watts, a 52-year-old from Sarasota, drove through the closed toll plaza on the Manatee County side of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Seeing the approaching car, FHP Sgt. Steve Gaskins radioed two troopers and others to have them intercept the driver and protect thousands of runners participating in the Skyway 10K on the bridge.
In the dashcam video, you see Schuck's patrol car drive in the middle of two lanes just before Watts' car smashes into the trooper, almost head-on. The sound of sirens and rustling debris can be heard shortly after.
During Watts' court appearance Monday, the judge learned that Trooper Schuck has a serious head wound with a concussion and bleeding that will require stitches. The injuries are expected to cause permanent scarring to her head and face.
Schuck has been with the FHP for 26 years. The other trooper who tried to stop the BMW 335i driven by Watts was a 43-year-old veteran sergeant.
Gaskins called the two "high-caliber and high quality" members of FHP.
Gaskins was the detail commander for the Skyway 10K. In total, he called at least two Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers and three troopers to intervene as the driver was speeding toward the race area. He said the initial concern was that runners could have been injured if it weren't for the law enforcement heroes.
Watts is charged with DUI causing serious bodily injury, DUI with damage to property or person and reckless driving with damage to property or a person. Watts appeared in a wheelchair for her first court appearance in front of a judge Monday.
She's being held in the Manatee County Jail on a $52,000 bond. If released on bond, she's ordered not to consume any alcohol or drugs and to participate in random testing.