In 2018, Massachusetts State Police Trooper Jamie Magarian was not worried about his own health. He was a veteran trooper, used to the bumps and injuries that come with the job. One week, his arm popped out of its socket as he held oxygen to the face of a young man in a car wreck. He pushed his arm back in and went back to work.
One wintry day his job was simple, to back up another trooper with a tractor trailer crash on the Massachusetts Turnpike near the Oxford and Auburn line during a snowstorm. Magarian leaned into his cruiser to get his key fob, prepared to put flares on the snowy road. Then, an 87,000-pound truck crashed into the back of his cruiser.
Officers injured in line of duty
“The next thing I remember is the sound of smashing metal. And, basically, my first cognitive memory after that was waking up in an ambulance,” Magarian said.
Every day since then, Magarian has been forced to focus on his health. His leg was nearly amputated. He was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury and a neurological disorder. Some days he suffers from seizures or lacks the ability to read clearly.
“I couldn’t drive a car. I couldn’t be left alone. There are times when I would cognitively come back into the world and there’s police officers and paramedics standing in my living room,” Magarian said…