Developing Horizons Magazine (2).pdf Spring 2017 DHM A | Page 26

Life Challenges
The Choice...
By Timothy A. Berg
Timothy A. Berg is a deputy sheriff for Hillsborough County, Florida. On De-
cember 22, 2016, he was on motorcycle duty when he stopped at a traffic light and
was hit from the rear by a delivery truck going at high speed. The impact drove him
forward over 100 feet and wedged him under a semi-trailer that was also stopped
for the light. It took a wrecker crew over an hour to get him out and placed in an
ambulance. He has spent the fourteen months since the accident in rehab following
multiple surgeries. He was recently called upon to face the driver of the delivery
truck and testify before the court in the sentencing phase of the proceedings against
the driver. Following is the prepared statement that he read:
“M r. Cooper, I first want to say
that I do not hold any hate or anger
towards you however; I do believe
that you need to be held accountable
for your actions. You see, Mr. Coo-
per, impaired driving is one of the
most preventable crimes and can
simply be avoided by a choice.
On December 22, 2015, you chose
to consume prescription pills and
drive a vehicle and it was that choice
that brought us here today. It was
that choice that caused my wife to
wonder if I would survive and how
she was going to tell our three boys.
It was that choice that caused my
family to spend Christmas pray-
ing that I keep fighting for my life
while in the trauma ICU instead of
spending it together opening pres-
ents. It was that choice that placed
me in the biggest fight I have ever
had in my 17 ½ year career in law
enforcement or in my entire life for
that matter. It was that choice that
caused me to spend two weeks in
the hospital undergoing a major
surgery to repair my broken ankle
and fractured pelvis, and to close
holes in my leg where my expand-
able baton impaled my thigh while I
was also recovering from road rash
and a chin laceration.
It was that choice that caused my
wife to wonder if I would remember
her and my kids due to the stroke I
suffered that affected multiple areas
of my brain. It was that choice that
caused me to undergo intensive
physical therapy to regain strength
and stability, occupational therapy
to relearn basic skills and coordi-
nation, and to work on regaining
my impaired vision, and speech
therapy to reengage my brain. It was
that choice that restricted me to a
wheelchair and needing assistance
from my wife for my everyday basic
needs. It was that choice that caused
me to have complications leading to
blood clots forming in my left leg.
It was that choice that caused me
to undergo three more surgeries
after being released to repair my
right shoulder from a labrum tear,
to repair a right knee meniscus tear,
and to repair a hole in my heart.
My right shoulder will never be
the same, as the a/c joint was also
separated. Due to the knee injury, I
can no longer run consistently like I
enjoyed doing.
Now, Mr. Cooper, you have anoth-
er choice to make: you can choose
to use this situation as a learning
lesson and figure out a way to better
yourself or you can choose to be bit-
ter and angry, and continue to travel
down the destructive path that led
us here today.
When I swore an oath 17 ½ years
ago to serve and protect, I never
once thought that I would be a
victim but here I am. Here I am a
victim of a DUI crash, a fact which
is ironic because I have spent a good
portion of my law enforcement
Accident scene where Timothy
Berg was pinned underneath
a truck for over an hour while
rescue teams worked to get him
out safely
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
26 Spring