CRAWFORD COUNTY (KFSM) -- For the first time since a horrific crash left one man dead, the Arkansas State Police trooper who stopped him from driving into on-coming traffic with his patrol car is speaking to 5NEWS about the crash and his recovery.
On August 8, Trooper Roy Moomey received a call about a man driving the wrong way on Interstate 40 through Crawford County at a 100 miles per hour.
"I wanted to make sure that I was the first person to find this car. I didn't want him to hit somebody else," Moomey said. "I don't remember any impact. I remember waking up in the car."
The next thing Moomey remembers is having to be cut out of his patrol vehicle.
"My heroes showed up; fire department, ambulance," he said. "They spent a little time getting me out of there. I know they went above and beyond anything they could do for me and I felt good."
Moomey was rushed to the hospital with many broken bones.
"Pretty bad foot injury where my toes were all broken," he said. "Ankles were cracked. Cracks in my back, cracks in the pelvis. It's probably much easier to tell you what didn't break."
Since then, Moomey has spent each day in rehabilitation and has come a long way in the last two months.
"I'm almost able to walk around," he said. "It's not a good walk yet and it's painful."
Moomey said he has been blown away by the outpouring of support from the community, which started with a visit from Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
"When you see the governor of Arkansas walk in your room, it's pretty awesome," he said. "As big as anybody can be and as small as anybody can be, it was all equally important to see somebody and know that this community was behind me."
Moomey also had something to say in response to being called a hero.
"As far as me being a hero, I just went to the call and what happened later is irrelevant," he said. "That part of it happened to me, sure that's not a happy ending. For me right now being a hero, these guys answer calls everyday, they are all heroes."
Although many who saw the crash would argue otherwise.
Moomey said he can't wait to get back to work, but right now he is unsure when that will be or in what capacity. He said he would also gladly get back behind the wheel of a patrol car.