This is the 10640th most frequent Polish word.
dopaść
"To catch" or "to seize."
Here, 'dopadło' signifies an unexpected emotional or physical experience that 'caught' the speaker.
Kiedy wracałem do domu, nagle coś niespodziewanie mnie dopadło.
When I was returning home, something unexpectedly got me.
In this sentence, 'dopadły' refers to problems that eventually reached or affected the person.
Długo próbowałem unikać kłopotów, ale w końcu mnie dopadły.
I tried to avoid troubles for a long time, but they finally caught up with me.
Here, 'dopadł' illustrates a chase scenario where the action of capturing is completed by the policeman.