Mother of injured Palm Springs officer grateful her son is on the road to recovery
A little over a week ago, a local mother received a call she never expected to receive, her son, a Palm Springs police officer, was injured in the line of duty.
On Dec. 20, two PSPD officers were hospitalized at the end of a high-speed pursuit after a suspect rammed their vehicle into them during a pursuit, pinning them between two vehicles.
Both officers' heads shattered their windows. The interior of the rear passenger door also showed damage from one of the officer’s legs.
A 63-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy were arrested. PSPD added that officers found four stolen catalytic converters and a Sawzall, inside the suspect vehicle.
Surveillance video captured the moment of the crash.
“Because I saw that video, as they say, reality hit me,” said the mother of one of the officers, who asked not to be identified for security reasons.
When she received the call that her son was hospitalized, she says she panicked.
"I do not know if one day he will leave and return. I say that it is a concern for any mother, it does not matter what profession your children have, it is a concern that we face every day," the officer's mother said.
These were hours of anguish for this mother as she waited to hear the voice of her youngest son.
“We were able to talk the next day, when he spoke to me, he said he was fine, not to worry, that obviously later I found out the truth that the impact was,” said the affected mother.
One of the injured officers returned to work the next day.
The mother's son is still recovering.
“He is recovering at home, he has injuries that he still needs to work on, hopefully soon he will continue doing the work he loves,” she said.
"Christmas was very grateful to us, I think it's the first Christmas we've had so happy, because I have him there with me, even though he's hurt," the mother said.
Her son is part of special operations in Palm Springs and for protection reasons, she wishes not to name him.
However, she says that her son's desire to return to protect his community is fueling him to get ahead.
"May God take care of our officers because they are protecting the lives of others and they put their lives in danger," she said.
Check Out a Spanish interview with the mother by Telemundo 15's Marco Revuelta
