MAY 2023 - Blues Vol 39 No. 5

AROUND THE COUNTRY yrs.

AROUND THE COUNTRY yrs. DALLAS,TX. Texas trooper survives crash and rehab to return home. Physical therapist Bridget Denicola said she had never seen a patient with such a high pain threshold and determination. By Bill Carey Police1 DALLAS — Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Curtis Putz has returned home after a crash in January that left him with injuries so severe his survival was uncertain. On January 31, winter weather had frozen North Texas and Trooper Putz was working at the scene of an accident on Interstate 45 in Navarro County, WFAA reported. A car slid into Putz and pinned him underneath. It took 90 minutes over icy roads to get him to a hospital. Putz suffered fractures in his pelvis, hips, ribs, hands and legs, and nerve damage in one leg. He endured several surgeries and painful skin grafts. “He was very broken when he came in,” said physical therapist Bridget Denicola, who worked with him once he finally reached the rehabilitation center at Baylor Scott & White in Dallas. Baylor Scott & White therapists say they have never seen a patient with such a high pain threshold and such determination. “I always knew from day one the moment I met him, there were two goals: Get back to Tash and the kids, and get back to work,” said Denicola. After 81 days of painful recovery, Putz was discharged and returned home. “Words cannot describe what I feel right now. I’m so happy to be going home, so thankful that I am still here today,” Putz said during a press conference at the rehabilitation center. He thanked Denicola and the staff who helped him recover, the surgeons who saved his life, the troopers who watched over his family for 11 weeks, and his wife and his faith. Outside the rehabilitation center, law enforcement lined up with Baylor Scott & White employees to applaud and cheer as Putz, his wife and three kids walked to the waiting SUV for a police escort home. “It has been 81 days since the crash that took your voice off our airwaves on January 31, 2023,” said a dispatcher’s voice over the radio. “Congratulations on going home to finish your recovery with your beautiful family.” 42 The BLUES The BLUES 43