'A Little Nervous': John Adsit Returns To The Police Force
DENVER (CBS4)- It's a day Denver Police Officer John Adsit thought would never come. He returned to work Wednesday after nearly two years of recovery from serious injuries he suffered on the job.
"I feel a little nervous and a little shaky," Adsit said before he went into work Wednesday morning.
It was a case of the first day jitters for Adsit.
"It reminds me of the first day of academy years ago starting out," Adsit said.
On Dec. 3 2014, Adsit was on his bicycle escorting East High School students during a protest when he was almost killed by a driver who suffered a seizure. Three other officers were also struck in the crash.
Eighteen surgeries later, Adsit knows he's lucky to be alive.
"Physically, there are certain things that I don't have any control over, like my nerves and arteries and my eyesight," Adsit said.
Now, Adsit said the hardest part of coming back is realizing how much has changed since he's been gone.
"From the day of my incident, to now, things nationally have changed in the police world and the law enforcement world," said Adsit. "There's going to be a lot of things I need to catch up on and relearn."
While Adsit still has four more surgeries to go, his road to recovery is far from over. His goal is to one day be back on the streets with his brothers and sister in blue.
"If I could click my heels and be back doing that, I'd do it in a heartbeat," Adsit said. "I miss that every single day."
Adsit created Adsit Strong, a non-profit organization, during his recovery.
Adsit and his family are encouraging people to run in a 5K race next month in Castle Pines North that benefits injured first responders.
Get more information at adsitstrong.org/riseandrun.
Andrea Flores is a reporter for CBS4. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter @AndreaFloresTV.
