News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Virtually from the moment his Crown Victoria patrol car collided with a Black Angus cow on Highway 126 near Redmond last fall, Deputy Todd Williver has been battling to get back in uniform and back on patrol.
Williver suffered head trauma and other injuries in the wreck, which occurred on November 7, while he was responding at high speed from Redmond to a report of a suicidal person in Sisters.
The deputy says that -- to his relief -- it feels great to be on duty again.
"I was a little hesitant or tentative coming back, just wondering what it would feel like being in a patrol car again," he said.
His willingness to turn on the overheads and hit the gas when needed was tested quickly. On his second day back, Williver had to respond to a priority call near Redmond -- another "suicidal subject."
"It was a little eerie," Williver said.
The deputy made a remarkable comeback, considering the extent of his injuries. He spent nine days in the hospital with multiple skull fractures, a broken arm and other, less-serious wounds.
Determined to make it back, Williver started doing light office duty at the Sisters sheriff"s station on December 13. The deputy donned his uniform on March 1 and got back out on the road.
Now he"s back to a full patrol shift, with "no restrictions and no exceptions."
The effects of the accident still linger, however. The deputy"s patrol cap hides a deep scar on his forehead and his left arm and hand bear the marks of the wreck.
"I"ve still got aches and pains, but nothing to keep me from doing the job," he said.
There is still nerve damage and paralysis on the left side of Williver"s face. He said the doctors have hopes that those nerves will regenerate, but it may take years.
The lingering effects are bearable, considering that the accident could well have been fatal. And there are no apparent psychological scars.
"Honestly, I don"t have any mental baggage from this at all," Williver said.
In fact, the deputy has no memory of the wreck and recalls only "snippets" of its immediate aftermath. He knows he must have seen the cow suddenly appear in his path, because he laid down about 140 feet of skid. But he can"t recall the impact that destroyed his car and sent it careening across the roadway to strike a guardrail.
He doesn"t remember his airbag deploying, and only vaguely recalls another deputy and a passerby wrenching the door open so he could crawl from the wreckage.
It seems like a long haul from that November night to his current return to duty. Sergeant Rich Shawver is glad Williver made the effort.
"I"m pleased to have him back," Shawver said. "I think his story is just remarkable."
With Williver"s return, the west county patrol force is back to full strength, keeping an eye out for public safety -- and for black cows on dark highways at night.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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