Paul Philipps’ life changed on a foggy, misty night 27 years ago. It was April 20, 1984, about 1:50 a.m., and Philipps, a 24-year-old Parsippany patrolman, was handling a minor car accident on Vail Road, jotting down notes for a report and walking across the street. That’s when a drunk driver behind the wheel of a speeding pickup truck slammed into the officer, knocking him 20 feet into a puddle of mud. He broke his ribs and injured his back and left hip and knee, and spent two weeks in the hospital, undergoing four operations.  He was told he would have to retire. “That was a life-altering …