After being struck by a car last August while trying to assist at a crash along the Parkway West in Robinson Township, Allegheny County, state trooper Joshua Osche of Troop D Butler is back on duty.

Citing his dedication to criminal investigation, his mother, Butler County commissioner Leslie Osche, said his family is “thrilled” for the trooper as he returns to work.

Joshua Osche was off duty and heading home from a concert at The Pavilion at Star Lake on Aug. 24 when he stopped to help at the scene of an accident between a car and tow truck blocking traffic.

After he was hit, the tow truck’s driver, Blair Johnson, dragged him to safety.

Leslie Osche, who has been vocal about crash responder safety since the incident, recalled the moment she wondered whether her son would walk again — a far cry from the past weekend, she said.

“To see him walking and back to work — he was showing us all the different things he could do over the weekend, like leg lunges and other accomplishments — we’re just thrilled,” Leslie Osche said. “We thank God every day for Blair Johnson saving him and that he’s able to walk.”

Reflecting on that day, Leslie Osche remembered the uncertainty after she learned her son was involved in a crash.

“lt was late at night — nobody ever wants to get a phone call like that,” she said. “It was certainly scary in the first few minutes of that phone call until we understood he was stable.”

When two different state troopers pulled into her driveway, Leslie Osche said her “heart sank.”

“Usually when they come to your door, it’s not good news,” she said. “Then they both immediately said he was stable. So, you go from a level of shock to a level of response trying to contemplate what might’ve happened, what could have happened, what it means for him for the rest of his life.”