Sunshine Skyway Race is Saved By 1 Officer
MANATEE COUNTY, FL – Kristen Kay Watts, a 52 year old, was intoxicated, while driving her BMW north on I-275 at a high speed. She approached a road closure put in place on the Sunshine Skyway for the Armed Forces Skyway 10K Race. Additionally, she ignored the detour signs and maneuvered around the traffic cones and barriers.
Despite State Officers attempts to stop Watts, she continued to drive towards the bridge and passed the toll booth with no problem. Only two officers remained before Watts was free to drive over a bridge full of vulnerable runners.
The two remaining officers setup their vehicles to about 100 yards apart to give themselves twice the opportunity. The first officer missed the driver by about 5 feet, which left one line of defense. The remaining trooper, Schuck, swerved back and forth to line up directly with Ms. Watts. Watts was unable to avoid the collision, therefore, creating a disastrous head-on collision. A video was released from the dash cam that shows the moments leading up to the collisions as well as the seconds to follow.
Schuck and Watts sustained serious injuries but both survived. Watts was charged with DUI serious injury and two counts of reckless drive damage. Schuck has since spoken to the press addressing the gravity of the issue in the moment. All the runners and their families were blessed by Schuck’s actions and we are grateful for her.
References:
Robinson, C. (2022, March 8). Terrifying dashcam video shows Florida Trooper Drive into path of drunk, wrong-way driver. WESH. Retrieved March 23, 2022, from https://www.wesh.com/article/dashcam-florida-trooper-drunk-wrong-way-driver/39367903
Sarasota Woman’s Bond set at $52,000 in crash that injured FHP Trooper. ABC 7. (2022, March 7). Retrieved March 23, 2022, from https://www.mysuncoast.com/2022/03/07/sarasota-woman-held-without-bond-crash-that-injured-fhp-trooper/
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