Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Zachary Vasquez has been released from rehabilitation and is heading home nearly two months after suffering serious injuries in a head-on collision near Alpine.
The Texas Department of Public Safety Officers Association announced the milestone Tuesday, saying Vasquez had been released from rehabilitation following weeks of treatment and recovery.
Vasquez, 26, an Alpine-based DPS canine trooper, was seriously injured June 23 when another vehicle crossed into his lane on U.S. Highway 67 about five miles east of Alpine.
According to DPS, Vasquez was traveling east in a Chevrolet Tahoe patrol vehicle at about 7:36 a.m. when a westbound GMC Sierra driven by 28-year-old Erik Alberto Hernandez of Monahans crossed into the eastbound lane for an unknown reason and struck the patrol vehicle head-on. Hernandez was pronounced dead at the scene.
Vasquez suffered severe injuries, including multiple injuries to his legs. First responders initially transported him to Big Bend Regional Medical Center before he was airlifted to University Medical Center in El Paso for additional treatment. He subsequently underwent multiple surgeries and extensive rehabilitation.
An Alpine Police Department officer who was traveling ahead of Vasquez returned to the crash scene within about a minute and began providing emergency care. Brewster County deputies, a U.S. Border Patrol agent and civilians also helped remove Vasquez from the overturned patrol vehicle and provide first aid, including the application of tourniquets.
Vasquez’s K-9 partner, Guido, was riding in the patrol vehicle during the collision but escaped serious injury. Guido was evaluated by a veterinarian in Alpine and later taken to El Paso for an additional examination.
Vasquez has made steady progress during his recovery. Earlier this month, the DPS Officers Association reported that the Army veteran had reached another major milestone by taking his first 30 steps since the crash.
The DPS Troopers Foundation has organized fundraising efforts to assist Vasquez and his family during his recovery.
His release from rehabilitation marks a major step in a recovery that began with severe injuries on a West Texas highway and continued through multiple surgeries and weeks of intensive therapy.
