Ramon Martinez, a reserve deputy in Bexar County, shares his story of survival and urges drivers to stay alert after a severe accident in Austin left him injured.
BEXAR COUNTY, Texas — Ramon Martinez is grateful to see another day.
“I praise God,” he said.
Martinez is a reserve deputy with the Bexar County Constable Precinct 2 Office. In August, police said a driver hit Martinez’s car while he was off-duty working traffic in Austin. Nearly three months later, he still can’t work.
“It is an unfortunate situation what happened,” he said.
On the night of Aug. 13, Martinez was directing traffic in a construction zone in Austin when police say a driver hit his car. He said the impact pinned him underneath his vehicle.
“She hit me at an angle,” Martinez recalled. “When she hit me, it pushed my car, and it pushed it up. I was in the front, I went under. I was standing up, now laying down. I came out of the left rear tire.”
Another off-duty deputy rushed over to help him.
“I held on to his leg, and I was just gasping for air, like a fish without water,” Martinez said.
Martinez was taken to a nearby hospital, where he spent two weeks in intensive care with severe injuries.
“Lacerated kidney, artery,” he said. “Lacerated spleen, lacerated liver. Nine broken ribs. Eight herniated disc’s.”
After returning to San Antonio to recover, Martinez faced another setback, his wife was also hospitalized. Both are expected to be OK. However, he wants to return to work.
“I don’t know if I will ever be 100 percent,” Martinez said.
Martinez serves as a reserve deputy with the Bexar County Precinct 2 Constable’s Office and works full-time as an EMT. Despite his recovery challenges, he says he’s sharing his story to remind drivers to slow down and stay alert.
“Let’s drive safely. Put our cellphones down,” he said. “If we see police officers in work zones or construction zones, let’s slow down. At the end of the day, we all have families we want to go home to.”
In a twist of events, Austin police say Martinez’s firearm became dislodged during the crash and was stolen from the scene by bystanders. Officers later arrested three people.
Police say the driver who caused the crash was cited.
Martinez doesn’t know when he’ll be able to return to work, but his colleagues at the Bexar County Precinct 2 Constable’s Office are rallying to help him during his recovery.
For more information on how to support Martinez, click here.