INDIANA STATE TROOPER'S LEAP SAVES HIS LIFE

He saw a lot of lights -- as well as his own life -- flash before him.

Indiana State Trooper Dan Burch says his quick thinking and the bright headlights of the Ford pick-up that struck his cruiser early Sunday morning are the reason he's alive today. He was actually standing in front of his car looking for debris the split second before it was rear-ended on US 31 just south of the US 20 By-pass.

That leap, and a lot of luck, are what saved Trooper Burch's life. He says the driver was going above the 45 mile per hour speed limit and was intoxicated

Burch says, “I turned around and went walking back over to my car when I saw the headlights. It wasn't an action hero dive, just a leap out of the way. I remember the impact. I don't remember how loud it was. I just remember hearing the impact and my car being pushed beside me and there was the pick-up truck.”

There inside the pick-up truck was James Biggers of South Bend. Trooper Burch says Biggers wasn't injured, but he was intoxicated. The .14 BAC test result -- almost twice the legal limit -- was the proof. Biggers was arrested and taken to the St. Joe County Jail. Burch says, “It's 45 miles per hour, and he was traveling at a decent speed. I'm not sure how fast. Apparently he wasn't going to stop. He never even hit his breaks.”

Burch says even the bright flashing lights on his car weren't stopping Biggers. He says, “If I had froze in my tracks or hesitated, who knows. I would've been seriously injured, if not killed. He was almost in tears clutching his face saying, 'Oh my God, I can't believe I did this.'"

“The big lesson is never operate a vehicle while intoxicated. I consider myself blessed. The Lord intervened in that situation for sure.” This isn't the first time Biggers got behind the wheel drunk. Trooper Burch says he was convicted of operating while intoxicated in January 2003.