Officer Dustin Krish was directing traffic when he was hit by a car and rushed to a Marietta hospital on June 11.🙏
CARROLLTON, Ga. — Carrollton police officer Dustin Krish is now breathing on his own after being hit and airlifted to a hospital earlier this month, says his family.
Krish was rushed to a Marietta hospital on June 11 after he was hit by a car while directing traffic for a local utility company on Hwy. 27 in Carrollton. The driver was experiencing a medical emergency, police said.
His family created pages on GoFundMe and CaringBridge to post updates on Krish’s health status and road to recovery.
On Sunday, they shared that the officer was finally breathing on his own. His ventilator was planned to be removed on Monday if he could remain off it the rest of the day. They also wrote that he remains stable and is now managing his brain pressure on his own.
Earlier that weekend, Dustin faced a few setbacks, including a blood clot, increased bleeding, and facial trauma. But he was successfully taken off sedation. Outside of his facial and head trauma, Krish only broke his wrist bone, according to his family.
The family is also asking for help and prayers to support any future needs that he will require through a GoFundMe page. Krish joined the Carrollton Police Department three years ago after following in his older brother’s footsteps. He is known in the community for his compassion, strong faith, and generosity, says the page.
“He is the kind of person who lights up every room, not just with jokes and laughter but with a heart that radiates warmth,” wrote his family. “He’s the guy you call when you have car trouble, when you need help moving, or when you just need to talk. He loves hard and lives with purpose.”
More on the crash
Georgia State Patrol said Officer Krish was wearing reflective gear as he was directing traffic while electrical work in the area disabled the traffic signal at this intersection in front of an Ingles. According to the Carrollton Police Department, the driver who allegedly hit the officer stayed on the scene.
As Officer Krish was in the roadway, GSP said the driver of the Kia Sorento, who was traveling south, drove from the right lane into the left lane, then into the southbound left turn lane and into the intersection where the SUV struck Officer Krish.
GSP said the Kia continued into the northbound lane and struck a car before the Kia ended up on a sidewalk.
Both the driver of the Kia and the other driver were taken to a local hospital for minor injuries.
11Alive learned that the driver who hit Krish will voluntarily give up her license after the crash.
She said she suffered from a seizure and didn’t know what happened until she woke up in a hospital with Georgia State Patrol investigators at the time of the crash.
Records show she has experienced seizures while driving in the past.
According to a LaGrange Police Department report, bystanders stopped her car from driving into oncoming traffic on May 2 when she experienced a seizure.
She told 11Alive that her doctor had 30 days to respond to the medical review mailed on May 22. She said she had been seizure-free for 30 days with a valid license and needed to get to work at the time of the crash.
She said she has not been cited or charged for either of these incidents. The Georgia State Patrol is still investigating the crash.