Injured Sandy Springs Cop Back at Work

Men and women who work in law enforcement go to work everyday knowing they may not make it back home and their families live with that knowledge too. Sam Worsham is a Sandy Springs police officer who was critically injured on the job and lived to tell about it.

Worsham said for as long as he can remember, he wanted to make a difference, so he chose law enforcement.

"You always have to expect the unexpected," said Worsham.

In August of 2008, Officer Worsham was on his motorcycle answering a call, when a car pulled out in front of him.

"I knew we were going to hit all the way," said Worsham. "I swerved to the left as hard as I could."

When Worsham landed, his bike was a mangled mess in the middle of Roswell and Abernathy Roads.

"I had a broken tibia on my left leg and several broken toes on my feet. I also broke my hip, pelvis my tailbone was broken in a couple of places. There were pieces of my femur all over Roswell Road," said Officer Worsham.

"I remember getting there and there just being a swarm of police, there were just police everywhere," said Worsham's wife, Marie.

Marie Worsham said she was afraid when she arrived at Grady Hospital, fearing at one point her husband and father to her three boys, was already dead.

"Everybody was talking about how bad the crash was and how bad his injuries were, how serious it was and I just kept thinking this is, you know, thank God he's not dead and everything else we can handle," said Marie Worsham.

After weeks of surgeries, one even involving putting a titanium rod in his leg, Sam Worsham was transferred to Emory for weeks of rehab.

Sam Worsham was determined to be a police officer again.

"They said he would be in a wheelchair six months and it was six weeks. So, he has an incredibly strong will," said Marie Worsham

Officer Worsham met his goal and returned to light desk duty just four months after the accident and was back on patrol seven months later.

"It's one of those life defining moments. You know its like you come to a point and it's like I can choose to give up and quit or I can choose to survive and go on and you know, I choose to survive," said Sam Worsham.

At age 40 and still on the mend, Sam Worsham tried out for the SWAT team.

"It nearly killed me. I think I had a few heart attacks on the run and going up and down the hills and through the obstacle course. You know, I'm looking at all these 20-year-old somethings and I'm saying you're out of your element," said Worsham.

Sixteen men tried out for the SWAT team and six of them made it, including Worsham.

"I always wanted to do SWAT because when people need help they call police. When police need help they call SWAT," said Worsham.

Officer Worsham said he still isn't 100 percent, but he's working on it. Worsham said he is also doing all he can until SWAT school starts, that's when the heavy-duty training starts.