Wyoming Area Regional Police Lieutenant Michael Turner speaks with reporters Monday after returning to work for the first time since he was severely injured in a car accident in December. Turner was the chief of the former West Pittston Police Department at the time of the crash; he’ll now be second-in-command under Chief D.F. Pace.
Kevin Carroll | Times Leader
Turner returns to police force months after accident
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Turner makes the walk from his vehicle to the doors of the Wyoming Area Regional Police Department on Monday.
Kevin Carroll | Times Leader
Turner is greeted by Sergeant Chris Mercavitch, the former chief of the Wyoming Borough Police Department before the department was merged into the Wyoming Area Regional department.
Kevin Carroll | Times Leader
WEST PITTSTON — Since the Wyoming Area Regional Police Department first hit the streets in January, the new consolidated department has been short one officer, and anxiously awaiting that officer’s recovery.
For the department, and for Lieutenant Michael Turner, the wait is finally over.
Turner put on his new uniform and walked into work at WARPD’s headquarters in West Pittston for the first time on Tuesday, nearly four months after a car accident on a snowy night left one man dead and Turner with several severe injuries to overcome.
“This day, I never thought it would come,” Turner said to reporters on Monday, his first day back at work and, technically, his first day as a member of the new regional police force. “The outpouring of support from the community, the prayers and the cards, just inspired me and gave me the energy to work harder and keep a positive attitude.”
Turner was injured in a two-car crash outside the Midway Shopping Center in Wyoming on Dec. 15. An accident report from the Pennsylvania State Police released the evening of the crash indicated that the accident occurred when a vehicle traveling southbound on Route 11 crossed the center line into the northbound lane, striking Turner’s police vehicle.
The driver of the other vehicle was killed in the collision, and Turner was hospitalized with a number of injuries, including two skull fractures, five rib fractures, a broken wrist and a shattered hip, among other major injuries.
“To be honest, I don’t recall much, and I’m grateful that I don’t,” Turner said of the crash. “I [recently] met the ER doctor that took care of me, and he told me that I was a coin toss back in December.”
A physical therapy regiment was put into place, and so far Turner has defied the timeline originally expected of him.
“They didn’t think I would be driving again until June,” Turner said.
The crash occurred just under three weeks before Turner, who was the chief of the West Pittston Police Department at the time, was set to assume his role as lieutenant in the new Wyoming Area Regional Police Department.
The regional department consolidated the departments of West Pittston, Exeter, Exeter Township, Wyoming and West Wyoming into one larger force, under the direction of Chief D.F. Pace.
Pace was on hand to greet Turner, now second-in-command, as he returned to work on Monday.
“This day couldn’t come soon enough for us,” Pace said. “His [Turner’s] recovery was nothing short of extraordinary…you beat all odds.”
While Turner was on the road to recovery (he’s still undergoing outpatient physical therapy as he gets back to work), he also had to contend with sitting on the sideline, unable to perform the job that he’s spent 22 years doing and a whole lifetime loving.
“In the beginning, it was a lot mentally, because I was always on the go,” Turner said. “To be stuck in a chair getting phone calls while all the guys were out there, I wanted to be out there with them. … That inspired me to work hard.”
The itch to get back out there wasn’t the only inspiration Turner received; he also mentioned the outpouring of support he received from the community as a key motivator in his recovery.
In the days following Turner’s accident, a GoFundMe started by his niece to assist with medical expenses raised over $15,000.
Well-wishes on social media and in the form of cards sent to Turner from the community also provided him with good, positive energy as he worked to get back on his feet. A few of those well-wishes included cards from Penn State football head coach James Franklin and Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, among countless others.
“The people that reached out and sent me messages gave me the drive,” Turner said. “They gave me the energy.”
Now, Turner could fully assume his role with the regional police and help power forward the department, Luzerne County’s first consolidated department of its kind.
“Putting this uniform on today, the emotions that went through my body…I can’t explain it,” Turner said. “My passion is law enforcement. … I’m glad to be back.”