FARMINGTON, Conn — A Farmington police officer injured in the line of duty returned to patrol for the first time Monday after he was injured in the line of duty last year.
Officer James O’Donnell was hit by a suspect’s vehicle as the suspect fled the scene during a confrontation.
Monday, officers and colleagues lined the parking lot to show their support for O’Donnell’s return. After a year of recovery, surgeries and physical therapy, he clocked in for his first shift at 3 p.m.
O’Donnell said he’s excited to be back.
“I told the chief right then and there in the emergency room that I was going to be back and I wasn’t going to go against that promise,” he said.
Almost one year ago to the day, O'Donnell was seriously injured on duty, after he was hit by a suspect accused of stealing catalytic converters off of cars in a condo complex.
32-year-old Pedro Acevedo, suspected of injuring O'Donnell and arrested a couple weeks after that day.
Over the last year, O'Donnell has endured a long road to recovery requiring multiple surgeries and physical therapy.
“My sacrum was shattered, my pelvis was fractured in four places and I had two broken bones in my foot as well,” he said. ”I had to relearn how to walk and change how I did things. Had a couple set backs.”
“To get him back here in that amount of time is unbelievable. I know sometimes we look at it, like ‘oh my God, he’s been out for a year, that’s a long time' and then you think about it and it’s like, ‘it’s only been a year with the injuries that he sustained.' Really a testament to him,“ Colin Ryan, Chief of Police for Farmington PD said. ”This is a guy who worked tirelessly to get back to what he loved to do.”
Monday, he did just that. He set off on his first 12 hour patrol shift.
“I can’t even express the gratitude of everyone. I mean, I got choked up,” O'Donnell said. '"I can’t be anymore thankful to the chief and council and everybody here. Everybody who came up from surrounding towns. It means a whole lot to me.”
O’ Donnell said he still has some more physical therapy to go, but is doing well.
As for the investigation, the chief said the criminal case is still underway and much of it is in the courts right now.
Elisha Machado is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at emachado@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
---
Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com
----
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.