Badly injured NSW cop Jonathan Wright's drive for the job not lost
Senior Constable Jonathan Wright said the long road to recovery since the crash in Campbelltown in Sydney's south west wasn't easy, and took its toll on his wife and family.
But getting back to being a cop was always on the agenda.
'There was no choice for me to come back to the cops, it was very important, a no-brainer really,' Senior Constable Wright told news.com.au.
'I'm now working in the south west region for education, going to schools in the area and talking about road trauma and road safety, with a big focus on distraction.
'It's a very important message – if we get through to at least one kid it's a win. I talk to upwards of 5000 kids a year in our area, so surely we can reach more than one.'
Senior Constable Wright was bleeding out on the road with a stranger's belt tied around his crushed right leg after he was hit at the breath testing station on Campbelltown Rd at Leumeah on February 16, 2018.
Sergeant Ben Cook rushed to his aid and applied a tourniquet he had in his pocket.
'There was already a makeshift one, a belt on his leg but it continued bleeding. I just needed to get that bleeding stopped,' Sergeant Cook said.
'I just happened to have one in my pocket that night, and that was very lucky. Other police were comforting him while I concentrated on my job and that was to stop the bleeding.'
Sergeant Cook said it was 'absolutely incredible' that Senior Constable Wright had made it back to work.
'His resilience is beyond belief. To still be a police officer I take my hat off to him.'
Inspector Greg Donaldson said despite losing his leg, Senior Constable Wright returned to work within three months of the crash and was an absolutely vital member of the team working every day to teach young drivers the dangers of distracted driving.
Jakob Thornton, 25, was jailed in 2019 for at least two years after he pleaded guilty to two counts of dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm in relation to the crash.
He had been staring at his phone for about 20 seconds, travelling at 60km per hour, before he rounded a bend and slammed into Snr Constable Wright and his colleague Senior Constable Matthew Foley.
Last month the two officers were awarded a Commissioner's Commendation for their actions.
Adam Coggan, a motorist who pulled up, told his children to wait in the car and rendered assistance to Senior Constable Wright and Kiera Cusbert, who ran from her car to help and keep the injured officer calm, were both also presented with awards.
Senior Constable Wright said he would not have made it without their help.
'I hadn't met Adam and Keira before today. I wasn't aware of the roles they played,' Senior Constable Wright said.
'It has been great to talk to them and thank them for what they did that night. I am grateful they were there to help, and I am grateful to all the first responders. I am also glad their roles were also acknowledged at the awards ceremony.'
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