A Maryland police officer who lost his legs when a reckless driver ran him over on Interstate 270 — allegedly on purpose — says he’s happy to be alive and hopes to return to the job.
Though Montgomery County police Sgt. Patrick Kepp has been through so much, he’s grateful his injuries weren’t worse.
“You have to be happy to be here, right?” he said. “Like, I’m lucky. I really appreciate everybody who’s reached out and thanked me.”
In October, Kepp technically was on break but joined his colleagues to try to stop a reckless teen driver. Raphael Mayorga is accused of driving 110 mph. He allegedly ran over Kepp intentionally.
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“I remember every single bit of the entire day, the entire night,” Kepp said. “I just remember looking down and seeing that something was wrong with my right leg. I touched it with my hand and saw blood, and I had some choice words for myself that I won’t repeat.”
“In those situations, you have to stay calm,” he said. “It does no good to scream on the radio.”
After calling for help, Kepp was rushed to R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. He spent seven weeks there and needed more than a dozen surgeries.
Now he’s doing physical therapy at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda and will eventually get prosthetics. His goal is to return to work as well as his favorite hobby – refereeing college football.
“Coming out of surgery, I mouthed just the words ‘football’ after looking down at my legs, so it’s that kind of stuff that I want to get back to,” Kepp said. “Just difficulty knowing that old normal is not new normal.”
Though he still has a long journey ahead, he’s grateful for all the kind words.
“It’s a very touching kind of thing to see, hear that people still are out there and care,” he said.
Mayorga goes on trial in May for attempted murder. Investigators say he has a history of reckless driving incidents where he would bait police into high-speed chases.
Video of Sgt. Patrick Kepp in physical therapy courtesy of DOD/Ricardo Reyes and Jessica Austin-Ashley.
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