He saved a picture of the wreckage on his phone to remember the tragedy. But for Pennsylvania State Trooper Thomas Armour, the crash earlier this year was just one of more than 500 memories he has of drivers who were under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
PennDOT and the Pennsylvania DUI Association announced the 43 winners of the annual Top Gun Award -- a recognition for officers who have excelled in apprehending impaired drivers -- Thursday afternoon outside of the Nittany Lion Inn, 200 W. Park Ave.
"This is the highest form of recognition," Pennsylvania DUI Association Executive Director Stephen Erni said. "These guys have seen the carnage of drunk driving."
The average Pennsylvania officer issues about two DUIs each year, but the award winners issued at least 50 each -- some more than a hundred.
"It's not about the number," Armour, who was a recipient, said. "It's about the end result -- it's how you touch people's lives."
The State College Police Department, which did not receive an award this year, issued 454 DUIs in State College last year, according to police reports. A third of all the criminal cases in Centre County Court filed last year were DUI-related, according to police reports.
"I don't know why we wouldn't be in there -- we've had winners in the past," said State College Police Captain Dana Leonard.
"It's a great organization, and we congratulate all of the winners."
Armour added he's lost track of many DUIs he's issued -- this is his fourth year earning the award in his 13-year police career.
While Erni said Thursday that 43 award winners work to touch the lives of the Commonwealth's citizens, he noted drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol can ruin a family's life forever.
Armour agreed and said when a loved one is struck by a driver under the influence, the driver changes the lives "180-degrees" for the victim's loved ones.
"It could be your family, my family or anyone's family whose lives will be affected drastically," he said. "I take it personally."
The DUI Association's Moving Memorial, a truck with a memorial wall inside, features the names of more than 1,000 fatalities caused by drivers under the influence.
"We ran out of room on the walls," DUI Association Law Enforcement Liaison for Western Pennsylvania Kathy Kress said. "We keep getting names almost daily."
Television monitors were placed inside with scrolling names to accommodate the increasing number of victims.
The winners were announced in front of the truck, which is a replica of the DUI Association's Harrisburg memorial.
The DUI Association is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its annual conference, which was first held in State College three decades ago.
