VIDEO: CHP officer hit by alleged drunk driver honored by colleagues as he leaves hospital
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. (KTVU, BCN) - To cheers and ear-to-ear smiles from friends, family, and colleagues, Highway Patrol Officer Martin Lendway left John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek on Friday and is now back home.
Lendway was hospitalized for more than two weeks, after being hit by a suspected drunk driver in Concord last month.
His homecoming came after "surgeries on his lower legs, a grueling physical therapy schedule, and over-the-top amounts of love and support from friends, family, coworkers, and the public," the CHP said in a Facebook post on Friday.
The post featured a touching video of more than a dozen officers waiting for Lendway as he exited the hospital in a wheelchair.
The group greeted him with gifts, handing him the boots he had been wearing when he was hit. The boots were refurbished, polished and all ready to go, and one officer called them Lendway's "survivor boots."
Lendway also received a gift card for a custom fitted leather motorcycle jacket.
The officer was clearly moved by the thoughtfulness of his colleagues, reaching out to shake everyone's hands with gratitude.
Ofc. Lendway suffered his injuries on Jan. 15, as he helped motorists involved in a two vehicle crash on eastbound Highway 4 at Port Chicago Highway, CHP officials said.
He had activated his emergency lights and was in the center median, when a black 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer slammed into his motorcycle from behind, sending it flying into traffic, investigators said.
The Chevrolet then hit one of the cars involved in the earlier collision, which landed on top of Lendway, according to the CHP.
Two other cars also smashed into each other as the drivers tried to avoid hitting the CHP motorcycle that had been thrown into traffic. A total of six vehicles were involved in the collision, the CHP said.
CHP officials identified the woman driving the Chevrolet Trailblazer as 52-year-old Tammy Peggy Louise Walker of Pittsburg.
Walker was arrested and booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on suspicion of two counts of felony DUI causing great bodily injury, vehicular reckless driving, assault on a peace officer, and driving on a suspended license for a prior DUI conviction, CHP officials said.
CHP officials noted that Lendway's road to recovery will be long but said, "he is grateful to be alive and looks forward to overcoming any obstacle ahead of him."
Officials also said Lendway is looking forward to returning to the job he loves and hailed him a hero.
"You may hear the word ‘HERO’ thrown around a bit too much nowadays,...but if you’re looking for a Hero,...look no further than Officer Martin Lendway," the CHP said.