DALLAS - It’s been a difficult, three-year recovery for State Trooper Curtis Putz, who was injured in an icy crash in Navarro County.
On Friday, Trooper Putz shared his story at Baylor Scott and White’s trauma survivors’ reunion.
The backstory:
Putz was injured back in early 2023 on an icy day.
He was working a crash along Interstate 45 near Corsicana when another car hit his police SUV, causing the vehicle to roll over him.
The trooper was pinned by the SUV. He suffered multiple broken bones including his arm, pelvis, and both of his femurs.
Putz ended up spending 81 days in the hospital.
Navarro County DPS trooper goes home months after being hurt in crash
The power of will and determination was on full display Friday at the Baylor Scott & White rehab center in Dallas, as trooper Curtis Putz left the hospital nearly 12 weeks after a crash while in the line of duty nearly killed him.
What's new:
Now more than three years later, he wants other survivors to hear his story.
"Just be strong and fight through it. Pain is only weakness leaving the body," he said. "There is always hope. They may be using crutches or on a walker or wheelchair and they hear my story and say, ‘Well, he’s doing it, maybe I need to do it.’"
Dig deeper:
Putz, who is also a husband and father to three young children, has been a trooper for nearly 20 years. He’s now back to full duty at work and oversees commercial motor vehicles.
"I love my job. I love being out and about, driving a marked unit – black and white and wearing the tan," he said.
That tan uniform has a blue and red stripe down the side. It's what left a mark on the concrete barrier where Putz was hit, emphasizing the force of the impact.
When asked if he does anything differently now, he said he’s more cautious. He also tries to move vehicles off the interstate when he pulls them over as a precaution.
The Source: FOX 4's Peyton Yager gathered information for this story from Friday's Baylor Scott & White Trauma Survivors Reunion.