AN INSPIRING COMEBACK

Claudia Cormier recalls being nervous about returning to work.

It had been over a year since she had returned to the San Marcos Police Department after she lost her right leg when she was hit by an SUV on Interstate 35 while on duty on May 18, 2019. But after countless surgeries and physical therapy, Cormier made her return on Aug. 17.

“I went in and it was fine,” Cormier said. “One of my coworkers helped me with my wheelchair so we had already arranged all that. So, the first day it was nice to be able to see everyone, talk to everyone. I already had my desk set up — my cubicle. It wasn’t bad. Like I said, I was nervous for a long time and now that’s it been a month I feel a little more normal going back to work now.” Interim Chief of Police Bob Klett said seeing Cormier return to the department has been inspirational.

“There was never a doubt about her determination and her spirit,” Klett said. “Through her recovery we’ve been watching, we’ve been in awe but to actually see her come back to work means a lot to so many people ... Seeing her come back into the building and doing some stuff with us again, it just really does the heart well to see someone overcome such a devastating injury and clearly she still has more recovery to do and work to do but to see her come back to a job that she loves, serving the citizens that she loves is just inspiring.”

But Cormier admits her return hasn’t come without challenges. She still deals with nerve pain caused by the accident. Cormier also says she struggles with depending on her coworkers more often but she gratefully welcomes their help.

Above, Claudia Cormier poses for a photo at Texas Physical Therapy Specialists. Photos courtesy of Claudia Cormier

“We depend on each other when we work cases, when we work incidents, when I was out on patrol,” she said. “But with this, I was really going to have to depend on them for a lot of things that back in the day I used to not — opening the door, helping with my wheelchair, making sure the path is clear so I can roll around my wheelchair around the department.”

Alongside the department’s help, Cormier has drawn strength from the community’s support.

“Everywhere I go people recognize me and it’s nice to still hear that they’re praying for me, that they went to fundraisers,” Cormier said. “...It’s really nice to know that, especially with everything that’s been going on in the world. It’s nice to know people are still praying for me and they’re still very supportive.”

As Cormier reflects on the accident, she says being able to talk with her coworkers now that she’s back in office has helped her move on.

“I think back then I wanted to make sure people didn’t feel guilty for something they thought they didn’t do,” Cormier said. “But now that it’s been over a year that we’ve all talked about it that’s probably been a great accomplishment as a whole … Now that I can talk about it with my coworkers it’s a really good thing and I feel like, ‘OK, we’ve dealt with it. We’ve moved on.’ That’s how I feel about it.”

Cormier is currently working with SMPD’s detectives assigning cases. But as she has planned on all along, she’s still working on returning to patrol duty. Klett said the department is working with her doctors to ensure that she’s able to serve her community.

“We’ll just keep working with her doctors to get her to that place where she can to do the job safely for herself and for the citizens and just show so many people the strength of what human beings can endure and come through and shine,” Klett said.

Cormier recently received a prosthetic, marking one step closer to her goal.

“It’s going to be a few more months before I master (using the prosthetic),” Cormier said. “Right now, I’m just walking and taking some steps, learning how to use it going down steps. It’s still something that I need to work on. But, absolutely, it’s still my goal to get back on patrol.”