Police Officer Returning After 3-Year Recovery

A local police officer is returning to the force after a three-year hiatus.

Fort Worth police officer Matt Brazeal is expected to come back in July after suffering serious injuries in a 2020 accident.

Brazeal was a member of a team of officers conducting a traffic stop in June 2020 when a driver of a stolen car took off suddenly.

Brazeal was deploying spikes on the road near West Loop 820 in an attempt to stop the car, but the car struck the officer, according to Fort Worth Culture Map.

Brazeal was stuck underneath the vehicle and was dragged 100 feet before being dislodged. The officer was critically injured and transported to JPS Hospital.

Gov. Greg Abbott presented Brazeal with the Star of Texas Award one year later in 2021 for his bravery and sacrifice in the field, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. 

Brazeal suffered multiple serious injuries, such as a broken pelvis, multiple broken bones, a collapsed lung, and damage to his brain, requiring about 60 surgeries over the past three years, according to Fox 4 News.

Brazeal reportedly has no memory of the event.

The Fort Worth Police Department posted a statement from Chief Neil Noakes on June 14, where he named Brazeal as a “ferocious fighter.”

“He has worked hard every day to recover enough to return to work,” Noakes said in the statement. “Unfortunately, he has faced setback after setback. Still, he keeps fighting and getting back up with his wonderful, supportive wife Candace always by his side,” he continued.

Brazeal told Fox 4 News that he hopes his most recent surgery on June 14 was his last and that his ordeal since has required a great deal of mental toughness.

“I’ll say this, it’s tough to remain positive sometimes. When I woke up from surgery the other day and they said you can’t do anything for six more weeks, I was like what? I was like what? I was ready,” said Brazeal, according to Fox 4 News.

“Like, we’ll get this little thing over with, and I’ll be back in the gym. It takes a like lot of mental fortitude,” he continued.

Ronnie Jackson, the driver allegedly responsible for hitting Brazeal, is expected to go to trial in September.