A police officer and a garbage truck driver were struck Wednesday by a vehicle in Vandergrift. The incident happened just after 9 a.m. on Sherman Avenue in front of Kochka Towing and Car Care.
Krystal Garcia was in her bedroom when she heard all the commotion in the station parking lot below.
She picked up her cell phone and went live on Facebook.
“I heard some screeching of some tires, sounds like a bigger vehicle and crashes and bangs,” Garcia said. “I had seen the whole scene with the officer running with his gun out. Then I saw him shoot at the vehicle and it came to a stop."
The officer was identified as Vandergrift police Officer Joe Gray. The truck driver was Glenn Rupert, a Vandergrift borough employee. Both were taken to hospitals. Their injuries were not life-threatening, according to state police.
Gray was back home Tuesday night, with no broken bones or internal bleeding.
Rupert suffered a broken toe, bruised back and shoulder.
Stacey Johnson was standing in the parking lot when it happened and rushed to the officer’s side.
“When he first got struck, he was up toward the gas station door and was like this, went up in the air and rolled down the parking lot,” Johnson said. "We basically was just letting him know 911 has been called and help is on the way.”
Troopers said the driver was having trouble stopping the car, which is outfitted with a pedal to accommodate his prosthetic leg.
The driver said the gas pedal was stuck, so he tried to pull into the gas station to stop the vehicle.
After the accident, video showed the driver get out of the car and stand beside the officer.
"He basically was just saying he was sorry and kept repeating the gas pedal had stuck," Johnson said.
Gray fired at the car thinking he was hit intentionally. Bullets hit the windshield, but not the driver, who was not seriously injured.
"A vehicle is a deadly object,” said Trooper Steve Limani, Pennsylvania State Police. “We had the officer struck with what appears to be a deadly object. He's lucky his injuries are non-life-threatening, and we're fortunate it worked out the way it did."
Joyce Kochka owns the business. Her son called her when the accident happened. She knows both men involved.
She said Gray had just purchased a drink and was on his way to work when he was hit.
"Oh he's real nice,” Kochka said. “Real nice guy. Just stopped in to get a Pepsi. Came out the door and he got hit."
The incident left a mess in the gas station parking lot, damaging the door and several gas pumps.
Gray has been placed on paid leave until the investigation into the incident concludes.
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