State trooper chases down truck driver who hit her

A Pennsylvania state trooper not only survived being hit by a pickup truck, she also managed to physically chase down the driver.

WTAE Pittsburgh reports that Trooper Heather Gonglik was helping direct traffic through a sobriety checkpoint when she stopped a Ford pickup to talk to the driver. After speaking briefly, the driver put his foot on the gas, hitting Gonglick, and sped away.

(A report from the Associated Press says Gonglik was dragged for 20 feet by the truck before being sent into the air and hitting her head on the ground; other reports note she was knocked right over.)

"The victim (Gonglik) eventually managed to stop the vehicle and approached the driver's side to speak to the accused,” Trooper Matthew Gavrish wrote in a report, according to WTAE. “After speaking for a short time, the accused began to drive away, ignoring the victim's commands to stop. As the vehicle accelerated, the victim was struck by the vehicle and thrown to the ground."

Gonglik then reportedly pursued the truck in her patrol car for about a half-mile before taking the driver into custody at a stop light. She was then brought to a local hospital where she was treated for her injuries, which a police report described as being “minor/moderate.” She has since been released.

"This is my 18th year in law enforcement. I've never seen a police officer get struck by a car and get back up," Southwest Regional Police Sgt. Joseph Pocsatko told the station. "The sound when she hit the ground was frightening for me."

The truck driver, Arnold J. Frankie, 62, was arraigned before a district judge and is being held on $150,000 bail.