VALDOSTA —
Two months after a car struck his parked patrol car and knocked him to the ground on Highway 38 East, Brooks County Sheriff’s deputy Charles Rhames said he has gotten back on his feet and has been recovering at home.
“I’m aching and hurting every day, and I can’t do all of the things I want to do,” said Rhames. “I’m the type that’s used to doing everything on my own, or at least being able to do so.”
Rhames, whose steps have been temporarily aided by a walker, said no timetable has been set for the completion of his rehabilitation and his subsequent return to work. He’s scheduled to visit his doctor at the end of the month for an assessment and progress report, he said.
“If it hadn’t been for my family, I don’t know where I’d be right now,” said Rhames. “I‘m getting by one day at a time, but there’s still a long way to go.”
The three-car incident that resulted in Rhames’ injuries was triggered by a man who was driving a City of Valdosta-owned vehicle, according to reports.
Barry Funck, the director of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Crime Lab, was distracted when the front bumper of his vehicle struck the rear of Rhames’ patrol car, according to a report from the Georgia State Patrol.
The source of the distraction is listed on the report as "unknown."
The GSP states that alcohol and drugs did not appear to be a factor in the morning accident, although Funck was tested for both. The results are still pending, according to the GSP.
The impact from Funck's vehicle sent the strobe-lit patrol car spinning clockwise, knocking Rhames to the ground and striking the stranded vehicle, causing it to spin as well.
Funck and the stranded motorist were both unharmed in the accident, according to reports. But Rhames, who had been standing outside of his car, suffered incapacitating injuries to the lower half of his body, reports stated, and he was transported to Archbold Medical Center in Thomasville for treatment.
Funck was cited for following too closely, according to reports, but the incident is still under investigation by the Georgia State Patrol’s Special Collision Reconstruction Team.
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