Nearly two years after losing a leg during a high-speed chase in Dade County, Georgia, a sheriff's major is back to work.
Maj. Tommy Bradford with the Dade County Sheriff's Office was injured on Aug. 7, 2018, when he was struck by a car driven by Lora Leann Wooten.
Several law enforcement agencies had been pursuing Wooten, who was suspected of stealing an air compressor in Fort Payne, Alabama.
As she headed toward downtown Trenton, Bradford grabbed a spike strip from his office and headed out to try to stop her. Instead, she struck him, leaving him injured on the side of the road.
He knew he had been badly hurt.
Along with an injury to his left leg, the crash also broke his left pelvis, broke and separated his right shoulder and broke a finger in his right hand.
Ultimately, doctors removed the leg.
After the crash, while recovering at his home in Rising Fawn, he told the Times Free Press that "what was done, was done."
"I told myself, 'You can be positive about it or negative about it. When you're positive, things go better.' I told myself I was going to be positive. I tell my kids that all the time. I can't say nothing if I don't do it."
After multiple surgeries and physical therapy, Bradford returned to work Monday.
In a post on the Dade County Sheriff's Office Facebook page, he thanked the community.
"I could never repay the support that has been given to us, and would not want to live, or police, anywhere else," he said. "The support I have received from these communities, has given me the strength and proper attitude, to keep moving forward."
Bradford added that the road to recovery has been a hard one, and that at times he thought he'd never return to law enforcement.
But, he said, "my heart kept pulling me back to service."
"I also hope to be an encouragement to others by helping them understand, that even though bad things happen to all of us, if we keep a positive attitude and work hard, we can still succeed."
Dozens responded to the post, congratulating Bradford on his recovery.
"Praise the Lord. Welcome back Major Bradford," one person said.
"Congratulations and welcome back, your journey and success is a true inspiration. Your continued service to the community is Appreciated Greatly," said another.
Wooten has since been sentenced to prison.