Police Officer Returning To Work Over A Year After Being Injured By Drunk Driver

MODESTO (CBS13) —  A Modesto Police Officer has returned to work more than a year after he was severely injured by a drunk driver.

"It felt like a dream. I was traveling westbound on Yosemite when I was broadsided by the suspect," said officer Juan Arroyo. "The collision left me with severe injuries."

Those injuries caused officer Arroyo to question whether he'd recover. Arroyo fractured his skull, jaw, ribs, broke his pelvis and his tibia and got a compound fracture on his left arm from the crash.

The nightmare crash required six surgeries and many months of therapy. Arroyo even said at one point the bone in his arm stopped healing.

"They all tell me I'm fortunate to be alive, I'm lucky to be alive. I realize that I was close to dying," Arroyo said.

The officer also had to find the will to relearn to walk.

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"I wasn't able to walk for about 3 months because the doctor didn't want me to put weight on my left leg," Arroyo said.

After a year of hard work, Arroyo is lacing up his boots and returning to work.

"It was emotional because at one point I didn't think this day was going to come," Arroyo said.

While this day has come, he admits to struggling at times through his recovery process.

"Without my faith, I could've just kept asking why? Why did this happen to me?"

While he was recovering, his friend of 10 years, Newman Police Corporal Ronil Singh, was killed in the line of duty.

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"I never thought I would have to see a friend get buried, especially someone that close," Arroyo said.

Additionally, Stanislaus County Sheriff's Deputy Tony Hinostroza died in a car crash in Riverbank. Arroyo's identical twin brother also continued working for Modesto Police.

"Just hearing stories of what was going on at work just made me kind of jealous," Arroyo said.

Arroyo says the support from his family, friends, and complete strangers got him through his recovery process. He is happy to be back doing what he loves.

"Law enforcement is a passion of mine. It's something I've wanted to do since I was a child 02 And there's nothing I want to do more than police work," Arroyo said.

As for the driver who struck Arroyo, police say 26-year-old Nazario Castillo IV was sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of felony drunk driving and assault with a deadly weapon.