SAN MARCOS, Texas — The San Marcos officer who lost her leg after being hit by a car while on duty spoke out about the incident publicly on Friday.
During a press conference at the San Marcos Police Department, Claudia Cormier shared her story in detail – touching on the crash and what recovery has been like for her.
While responding to a crash on Interstate 35 in San Marcos on May 18, Cormier was hit by an SUV driven by an alleged drunk driver. Police later identified the driver as Neil Sheehan, 58.
Cormier was thrown off the side of the road and realized she had lost her leg, her radio and her body camera. Not only that, but her patrol car was blocking her view from the highway so she didn't think any drivers could see her. She used her other leg to crawl toward the highway and scream for help.
Then, she said she heard a voice.
"I waved my arms to all the vehicles traveling on the highway. I could feel myself getting tired and begin to pray out loud. I screamed multiple times that I love my husband and my stepchildren, whom I love like my own," Cormier said through tears. "I don't remember how long I was screaming, but I was overpowered by someone screaming 'I'm a nurse!' Suddenly, I saw a woman in a dress and she came running towards me screaming, 'I'm a nurse! I'm going to help you!'"
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Cormier was taken to Ascension Seton Hays Hospital. She said once she arrived, the adrenaline wore off and the excruciating pain set in.
"I cannot describe how excruciating the pain was. And I admit that I asked my husband to let me go on several occasions," Cormier said. "I felt that everything I had accomplished was all that I could do. And that it was my time to go."
Doctors did everything they could to save her. She underwent emergency surgery and lost her leg as a result of the crash. It also turned out the nurse that stopped to save her on the highway was a nurse at that hospital, in the ICU.
Cormier spent a month in the hospital, undergoing 20 total surgeries and procedures. Afterward, she went to a rehabilitation facility in San Antonio, where she said she experienced some of her most difficult days.
"When the first day of therapy began, I broke down for the first time. That's when reality set in, and I would never be the same. I could not get dressed on my own, or even use the toilet," Cormier said.
It took weeks, even months, but eventually, Cormier learned to walk again.
It wasn't until August, about three months after the crash, that Cormier was able to return home. More than 200 members of the San Marcos community welcomed her home.
"The beauty is that I have never been alone," Cormier said.
On Friday, Cormier thanked several groups for supporting her in her recovery, including her fellow officers; those on the scene who helped save her; the San Marcos Fire Department; her former sorority, Sigma Lambda Gamma; Texas State University; her Hays County Crossfit community; and the community of San Marcos.
Cormier also thanked her surgeons and said that the recovery will take one to two-and-a-half years.
She said she and her husband, a fellow San Marcos police officer, also found peace.
"After my husband and I were able to hold and comfort each other, we decided to forgive the individuals involved and hope that they can also move on with their lives," Cormier said.
Now, Cormier is working toward getting stronger, hoping one day she can be back on the streets doing what she loves as a San Marcos police officer.
"I knew why I would never be the same," Cormier said. "Because I would be better."
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