From Wounded Officer’s Initiative - “On March 26, 2001, Jason Schechterle, then a Rookie City of Phoenix Police Officer was stopped at a red light. The dispatcher calling out over his squad car, Jason in the line of duty began to respond to a possible nearby homicide. As Jason waited for the light to turn green, suddenly and unexpectedly, his Crown Victoria was struck from behind by a taxi cab driver whose car was exceeding 100 miles per hour. Jason’s car instantly burst into flames, and he sat strapped and trapped in his vehicle, burning alive in raging flames that exceeded over 1000 degrees. Crews worked feverishly to save his life, putting their own lives and risk, and after 8 long minutes, Jason was freed, only to discover that over 50 percent of his body had been engulfed in the flames. He had no skin, no face, and no resemblance of the man he use to look like.
After arriving at the hospital, Doctors worked for over 7 hours to save Jason’s life. No physician believed Jason would make it through the night. He was covered in 3rd and 4th degree burns throughout his face and torso to the point that his own wife and best friend found him unrecognizable. He survived the night, and lay in a coma for 2 ½ months… and the prognosis to live much less fully recover was grave. He was never expected to talk, walk, regain his sight and function as he once had.
52 surgeries later, Jason began his long and painful recovery. Ten years later, through a series of big and small miracles, Jason now travels the country serving as a motivational speaker, sharing his story of hope and optimism.” Jason has a book written about him by author Landon J. Napoleon called ‘Burning Shield: The Jason Schechterle Story’. I had a great time talking with Jason and hope that he gives some sort of an insight for at least one person to see that police officers put their lives on the line everyday to keep people of their communities safe.
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