NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — A Virginia State Police (VSP) trooper is back on his feet roughly two days after an alleged drunk driver hit him in Newport News.
Trooper Michael LeSage responded to a "BOLO" or “be on the lookout” for a wrong-way driver on Interstate 64 Saturday morning.
The trooper told 13News Now that around 4 a.m., he saw the car going roughly 70 miles per hour headed straight for him.
"Really at the impact, I don't really recall anything other than the jolt, and then at that point, I realized I survived," LeSage said.
LeSage said this is his third time responding to a wrong-way driver in his five years with VSP. It may have been the trooper’s experience and quick thinking that allowed both men to walk away from the crash.
“At the last second, I just kind of steered to the right a little bit into the middle lane, just so it wasn’t a direct, head-on impact for both of us," LeSage explained.
Despite his injuries, LeSage went to check on 26-year-old Elijah Jones in the other car and move him to safety.
“I asked him to climb out of his passenger side and to do so quickly because there was other cars coming at us. I didn’t want him to get hurt," LeSage said.
VSP said Jones walked away from the crash unscathed. While LeSage has a few cuts and soreness, he knows it could’ve ended much worse.
“I think someone was looking out for me. I think someone was watching over for me, for sure," he said.
Jones faces driving under the influence, maiming, and open container charges. He's at Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail.