Injured trooper off breathing tube, improving

The state trooper seriously injured in a traffic stop in Steuben County last week is improving.

His condition has been upgraded from critical to guarded, according to Strong Memorial Hospital where Trooper Craig S. Foglia, is a patient.

"The breathing tube was removed a couple days ago and I've been told, he's slowly improving every day and we remain optimistic that he will continue to improve," said Trooper Mark O'Donnell, a State Police spokesman.

His recovery is expected to be lengthy.

On Wednesday, Foglia stopped a Jeep Grand Cherokee for speeding and had returned to his State Police Dodge Charger. Both vehicles were off the road.

A Ford F-150 extended cab then struck the Charger from behind. That impact slammed Foglia’s vehicle into the Jeep.

No charges were filed last week and an accident reconstruction team was investigating the incident.

“The Charger did what it was supposed to do,”  Maj. Rick Allen, the Troop E commander, said last week. “The rear end crumpled into the back seat. The driver’s compartment … was intact, which gave him a fighting chance. … I felt he was lucky he was inside the car and not outside the car when this happened.”

GCRAIG@Gannett.com

PSINGER@Gannett.com