INDIANAPOLIS — On Saturday, Indiana State Police trooper Azariah Keith, 22, was struck by an allegedly intoxicated driver on I-65 southbound near downtown.
In the incident, Keith suffered serious injuries to the lower half of his body. At one point, Keith was considered to be in serious condition.
According to court documents and statements, Keith had just finished assisting a driver on the interstate who had a flat tired.
That driver, Alicia Moore is now telling her side of what happened and sharing her gratefulness to Trooper Keith.
Moore says she was driving home when she got a flat tire Saturday night. When she realized she couldn't go further, she called AAA for help.
After 25-30 minutes of sitting in her car, Trooper Keith stopped to help.
In an effort to get her out of harm's way, Keith placed a spare tire on Moore's car, according to Moore.
It was shortly after that Keith was struck by an intoxicated driver in a Chevrolet Equinox.
Moore says she learned of the crash a little later and immediately realized it was the trooper who assisted her.
After putting the pieces together, Moore contacted the hospital to see if she could come thank Keith for his heroic actions, as she says she realized it could've been her that was hit.
Moore says she took flowers, balloons and a card to the hospital and was able to give it to his wife and children.
"Those two minutes after I pulled away may have saved my life," Moore said. "It's hard because it also almost cost him his life and his career with the long recovery ahead."
In the end, Moore says she is simply grateful that Keith is expected to survive.
"I am grateful that he wasn't taken from his wife and kids," Moore said. "I am forever grateful that he stopped and helped me the way that he did."
Court documents allege the driver who struck Trooper Keith was impaired by alcohol.
The driver has been arrested on the preliminary charges of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing serious bodily injury.
According to court documents, Keith suffered a broken pelvis and broken fibula. Additional injuries were not explained.
