Clark County Sheriff’s Deputy Drew Kennison is back on duty five months after being seriously injured while returning from law enforcement training in February.
On July 25, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office announced Kennison had returned to work. He was seriously injured on Washougal River Road Feb. 22 when part of a tree, burdened by snow, fell on his patrol vehicle, crushing it.
It took 45 minutes for fire and emergency medical service personnel to arrive at the crash scene, The Reflector previously reported. Several members of the Southwest Regional SWAT Team were traveling with Kennison and administered first aid before EMS arrived. They applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding and stabilized Kennison’s damaged arm and shoulder.
A public works crew and neighbors in the area removed the large section of tree that fell on Kennison’s vehicle. After fire crews extracted him from his vehicle, Kennison was transported to the hospital by ambulance as the weather wouldn’t allow for Life Flight to respond.
The tree appeared to strike the vehicle where the windshield meets the hood. Several fire departments from both Clark and Skamania counties used heavy extrication tools to remove Kennison from his vehicle, the sheriff’s office stated.
Due to his injuries, Kennison’s left leg was amputated above the knee. He remained in a rehabilitation facility until March 8 when he returned home.
Several local law enforcement agencies lined the Pioneer Street and Carty Road overpasses with their patrol cars to herald Kennison’s return.
“From the beginning, Deputy Kennison was determined to return to work,” the Clark County Sheriff’s Office stated in a release. “He would accept nothing less than a full return to duty. After months of rehab and hard work, his tenacity and grit are paying off.”
Kennison was a patrol deputy prior to the accident, Clark County Sheriff’s Public Information Officer Chris Skidmore said in an email. He is now assigned to the sheriff’s Tactical Detective Unit while he continues to recover.
Kennison had worked in the unit prior to his most recent patrol position. The unit investigates complex felony crimes and also assists the sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit in violent crimes including homicide, Skidmore said.
Kennison addressed a room full of his co-workers celebrating his homecoming to the force.
“I’m excited to be back,” Kennison said.
Clark County Sheriff John Horch said Kennison’s growth, both before and after the wreck, have touched the sheriff’s office.
“You’ve been an inspiration to everybody in this room, and to myself,” Horch said.
The sheriff said the whole office was looking forward to Kennison getting back to full service.
“I’m ready to be back and start doing some work,” Kennison said.
