'I was knocking on God's door': HPD officer hit by driver recounts terrifying night
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Houston police officer struck by a vehicle during a traffic stop is speaking for the first time about the incident that almost took his life.
Officer Nestor Garcia was hit along the Southwest Freeway on Sept. 27. Prosecutors say Robert Zimmerman crashed into him at a high rate of speed. He was charged with intoxication assault of a public servant.
"It was my MCL, ACL, my whole right knee pretty much blown out," Garcia said.
Garcia wasn't expected to make it.
He kept fighting for his life.
'The whole time I was at the hospital I was never alone. It was always my dad, my mom. My dad was out of work for like two months," Garcia said.
RELATED: Rookie HPD officer recovering after driver slammed into traffic stop
Today, his recovery continues and so does his support.
His "blue" family, he says, held a benefit for him. Garcia said their support is what keeps him going.
"The little aches and pains, I'll deal with those, the big goal is getting back to work," he said.
With every step in his recovery, Garcia is hoping to inspire others.
"Even in the hospital, they're like why are you always so jolly? I'm like well, I kind of have a reason to be happy that I went through the ordeal and I'm still here," he said. "I was knocking on God's door. He didn't want to open, so I had to come back."
Garcia is hoping to return to work this summer.
RELATED: Prosecutors say man who hit officer passed breathalyzer but failed other sobriety tests
