PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — It’s back to work for a Florida Highway Patrol trooper who put herself in harm’s way earlier this year. Trooper Toni Schuck has been on the mend after she blocked the path of an impaired driver near the Skyway 10K race.
In March, Schuck jumped into action when a driver broke through barricades for the Skyway 10K race.
Dashcam video showed how Trooper Schuck, a 26-year veteran of the Patrol, positioned her car in the middle of the road, what she called an instinct, thinking if the driver saw her car, they would stop.
But they didn’t stop, instead, they collided with Schuck nearly head-on.
“I’m just a trooper. I work on commercial vehicles. I inspect those large trucks, and that’s what I feel comfortable doing,” said Schuck. “You reflect every day, and like I’ve said before I’m glad it was me. I’m glad that nobody else got hurt.”
Support poured in after Trooper Schuck’s actions grabbed the attention of people all over the world.
But Tuesday marked a moment she’d been looking forward to: it was Trooper Schuck’s first day back to work.
Schuck explained she feels good and is excited to be back.
“At first, it was hard. You have a lot of soreness,” said Schuck. “Physical therapy and doctor visits, chiropractor visits have helped a lot, so like I said it’s been a process. Bumpy in the beginning, but it smoothed out enough to where I was able to come back to full duty.”
She also shared that itch to get back to the job was always there.
“The itch was there even after the crash,” said Schuck. “I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to come back, but in my heart, I knew I was going to fight to get back as far as the recovery process.”
As she returns to work protecting the community, Schuck still says she felt she did what she had to do. ABC Action News asked Schuck how she feels now when people call her a hero.
“My response is the same: I appreciate it, but it was my job to do. I would do it over again,” said Schuck. “It was my job. If they still want to call the hero, that’s great, but it was my job.”
