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First Posted: 5/12/2007
A Butler Township police officer was not injured when struck by a car during a traffic stop late Friday night.
Officer Robert Brighthaupt stopped a vehicle on state Route 309 near Foothills Drive just before midnight.
Brighthaupt was approaching the stopped vehicle when a passing vehicle, driven by Sylvester Vavra, 80, of Coaldale, struck him at about 11:55 p.m.
The passenger side mirror on Vavra’s car struck Brighthaupt’s duty holster and left arm, police said.
The force of the impact knocked the citation holder from Brighthaupt’s hand and knocked the mirror off Vavra’s car.
Another township officer pursued Vavra for a short distance until he stopped.
Brighthaupt, a two-year veteran of the police force, was not injured in the accident.
Police said the bullet proof vest and the proper positioning of police vehicles prevented Brighthaupt from sustaining serious injuries or death.
Police routinely position the middle of the police cruiser to the left side of the stopped vehicle.
Vavra will be cited with duty of driver in emergency response area and careless driving, police said.
The charge of duty of driving in emergency response area is a law enacted last yar that mandates a driver to use a nonadjacent lane while passing an emergency scene. A driver convicted of the offense can face a fine of $250, police said.