BELLE ISLE, Fla. (WSVN) — A routine traffic stop turned dangerous for Belle Isle Police officer Zachary Mathews, who sustained serious injuries near Orlando International Airport.
Mathews, who has been with the department for just a year, recounted his experience, which left him with fractures in his back and temporarily using a walker for mobility.
“I had less sensitivity in my right leg when I first got transported. I wasn’t able to feel it,” said Mathews. “So, unfortunately, it was kind of a weird feeling not being able to feel your leg, at all. I was relieved to know it wasn’t worse — that the injuries weren’t worse than it actually were.”
During the traffic stop, Mathews and his partner, officer Christian Rodriguez, encountered Carlos Miller, who was driving an SUV towing a trailer. The officers said the smell of marijuana led them to order Miller out of the vehicle.
“Once we were able to get him out of the vehicle, he actually took off toward oncoming traffic,” said Mathews. “I actually ended up grabbing him to stop him from being hit by an oncoming vehicle. Then at that point, he actually shoved me backwards, and I ended up on the ground.”
The situation escalated when the SUV, left in drive, began moving towards Mathews with the trailer.
“When the tire went over on top of me, the initial laying on the ground I was more on my side in between the trailer, and when it started moving, that’s when I ended up with the tire on top of me,” Mathews explained. “It was seconds, but it felt like a long time. It was seconds before I was able to lift the trailer off.”
The officer managed to free himself and assist in securing Miller before collapsing from his injuries. Mathews said he is glad that his injuries were not more severe.
“A lot of adrenaline and the thought in my mind that my partner was fighting somebody that was getting a run for his money,” said Mathews.
Now the officer faces weeks of rehab to help his body recover from the trauma.
“It’s kind of a weird feeling not to be able to feel your leg,” said Mathews. “I do have some fractures in my back, which is the main reason why I have this walker.”
Mathews has weeks of rehabilitation ahead of him but he hopes to return to at least light duty within the next month.
“For what happened, everything could be a lot worse, and I’m thankful that it wasn’t,” he said. “In a lot of pain right now, but on track to make a full recovery.”
Miller faces seven counts following the incident, including aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.