Trooper rescues passenger

By Layla Wilder

    A Virginia state trooper saved the life of a man he pulled over after the car they were sitting in was hit by a drunk driver and burst into flames.

Trooper J.T. Mahalik stopped a driver for a window tint violation shortly after midnight on April 30.

While Mahalik and Chad E. Roger-Steven were sitting in the trooper's car near the intersection of westbound Interstate 66 and Route 50, a 2006 Saab crashed into the police cruiser, according to a press release from the Virginia State Police. The car burst into flames.

Despite burns to his legs and spinal injuries, Mahalik got out of the car and pulled an unconscious Roger-Steven out.

“The valiant actions Trooper Mahalik took, in spite of his own injuries, and considering how quickly the fire spread, is incredible,” Capt. Tracy Russillo, a commander in the Fairfax area, said in a statement.

Mahalik and Roger-Steven were taken to the hospital for treatment. The Saab driver, David James Stout of Centreville was not injured, but he was charged with driving under the influence.

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