GRAPEVINE (WBAP/KLIF)- A Grapevine motorcycle officer who was critically injured from a traffic accident while on duty 2 years ago has returned to full-duty service this week.
Officer RJ Hudson was working the traffic unit on his motorcycle when a car swerved into his lane and hit him. He recalls being thrown off his motorcycle almost 300 feet and broke 26 bones and had to go through 11 surgeries. “As someone with as many injuries I had, I’m lucky to have lived to tell my story and get back in uniform going back to what I did before the crash,” he said.
Hudson said he had to go through lots of different therapies, mental and physical on multiple body parts. He said the road to recovery was long and hard but he wouldn’t have been able to remain as positive as he did without his support group. “It’s not what cards life deals you…it’s how you choose to manage those cards. Not giving up is important,” Hudson said. “One of the biggest reasons I didn’t give up was because of the support of the Grapevine Police Department, the city, my friends, partners and support from my wife and my daughter,” he said.
The department released a list of Hudson’s injuries, stating some of the bones were broken into dozens of pieces. The department said his injuries were so extensive, some of the breaks were not even discovered for several weeks due to swelling.
Injuries:
- Both orbital bones broken
- Broken nose
- Cracked teeth and filling knocked out
- Ruptured ear drum
- Concussion
- Diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury (T.B.I.)
- Multiple lacerations
- Multiple contusions
- Puncture wound right tricep
- Bursitis in left hip
- Broken left clavicle
- Left scapula fractured
- 8 broken ribs (7 left, 1 right)
- 4 ruptures in lungs
- Arterial bleeding & spleen injury
- Bruised kidneys
- Torn right rotator cuff
- Multiple compression fractures of vertebra
- Fractured L-4
- Left wrist broken
- Left thumb broken
- Right wrist broken
- Right thumb, index finger and knuckles broken
- Shattered bones in right forearm
- Nerve damage to right hand
- Ligament damage to right wrist
- Tibial plate fractured in left leg
- Torn meniscus in left knee
- Ligaments & tendons torn in left ankle
- Talus bone in left ankle fractured
- Shattered bones in left foot
- 11 surgeries
- 26 different broken bones
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