FLORIDA POLICE OFFICER RECOVERS AFTER BEING HIT BY TRUCK

An Ormond Beach police officer is in a hospital Monday recovering from injuries after being struck by a car. The officer, Jim Gogarty, has a serious leg injury but is conscious, and his injuries are not life-threatening.

Gogarty was stationary on his motorcycle at the Ormond Town Center in front of the Publix supermarket when he was hit by a driver in a pickup truck.

Authorities said they got reports that a man, Walter Weiss, in a pickup truck was driving erratically. Gogarty got off his motorcycle, approached the truck and repeatedly ordered Weiss to stop. Weiss refused to stop at first, but then he stopped and would not get out of the car. Officers then used a Taser gun on him.

The driver slammed into a tree at the shopping center after hitting the officer. Investigators are looking into the reason why the driver was driving erratically. Gogarty has been released from the hospital, but Weiss is still being examined.