A Boone County sheriff's deputy injured in the line of duty continues to recover at home and is sharing his story for the first time. Lt. Chris Hall, who has served on the sheriff's department for almost 20 years, said he continues reliving the moment he believes he nearly lost his life.He was laying out stop sticks at U.S. 42 and I-71/75 on a rainy Friday night in October when he was hit by the car he was trying to stop. "I know in reality it only took a second or two," he said. "I know it happened so fast, but I could probably sit here and talk to you for hours about it."Hall said the next several seconds seemed to move in slow motion. His body camera footage captured a car coming straight at him and Hall being hit only a few seconds later."Not mentally prepared to watch it yet. It's in my head. I can't stop thinking of it," Hall said.Deputies say four teenagers were in the stolen car, leading police on a chase. They eventually abandoned the car and were arrested hours later.Hall is bruised and has healing brush burns on his arm. His most serious injury is his knee. He said has several fractures and may need surgery. "I could easily ride this out, retire in five months and go away, and I don't think anybody would question why," he said. "But this just makes me and motivates me to want to come back even harder ... If I do retire, the bad guys win, and I'm not going to let it happen." Hall believes the teenager who was driving the stolen vehicle hit him intentionally."He had an alley and a lane he could have gone... He would run over the stop sticks," he said. "The only other choice he had was to avoid them and intentionally strike me, which I firmly believe he did."He was thrown onto the hood of the car and then to the ground."First thought is your family. I have my wife, I have a 20-year-old son, a 17-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old son. They're the first thing you think of. You immediately start thinking 'Are they gonna have to go to a law enforcement officer's funeral'?" he said.While lying in the road receiving medical treatment, he said he asked someone to bring him his phone. He called his wife."I needed my family to hear first. I did not need them to have somebody knocking at my door, somebody making a phone call or worse, the kids finding out on social media," he said. It is not the first time he's had to make an emergency call like that to his wife.In 2003, Hall was rear-ended on duty while working a traffic crash on I-75 in the pouring rain. He sustained minor injuries.In 2001, he was working for the United States Secret Service at the White House on Sept. 11. His wife was pregnant."After the Pentagon was struck, I made a quick phone call to her just saying, 'hey, I love you. Tell our son I love him' and I hung up on her," he said. Hall said his wife gave birth two days later to their first child. He said the community's support following his recent injury has been tremendous. He has received dozens of letters, cards and thank you notes, including from school children.While he said the positive outweighs the negative, he has lingering questions about the teenagers who put him in the hospital and could have cost him his life."I want to know why," he said. "We all know these are kids that had stolen multiple cars, firearms, running from police and now here we are running over people, running over police officers. I just want to know what got you to this point in your life."Hall said he knows he may never get an answer. "Fortunately, I'm still here today. Probably shouldn't be. But it could have been bad. Instead of an attempted murder charge, it could have been a murder charge," he said. Hall plans to return to duty as soon as he is medically cleared.
A Boone County sheriff's deputy injured in the line of duty continues to recover at home and is sharing his story for the first time.
Lt. Chris Hall, who has served on the sheriff's department for almost 20 years, said he continues reliving the moment he believes he nearly lost his life.
He was laying out stop sticks at U.S. 42 and I-71/75 on a rainy Friday night in October when he was hit by the car he was trying to stop.
"I know in reality it only took a second or two," he said. "I know it happened so fast, but I could probably sit here and talk to you for hours about it."
Hall said the next several seconds seemed to move in slow motion. His body camera footage captured a car coming straight at him and Hall being hit only a few seconds later.
"Not mentally prepared to watch it yet. It's in my head. I can't stop thinking of it," Hall said.
Deputies say four teenagers were in the stolen car, leading police on a chase. They eventually abandoned the car and were arrested hours later.
Hall is bruised and has healing brush burns on his arm. His most serious injury is his knee. He said has several fractures and may need surgery.
"I could easily ride this out, retire in five months and go away, and I don't think anybody would question why," he said. "But this just makes me and motivates me to want to come back even harder ... If I do retire, the bad guys win, and I'm not going to let it happen."
Hall believes the teenager who was driving the stolen vehicle hit him intentionally.
"He had an alley and a lane he could have gone... He would run over the stop sticks," he said. "The only other choice he had was to avoid them and intentionally strike me, which I firmly believe he did."
He was thrown onto the hood of the car and then to the ground.
"First thought is your family. I have my wife, I have a 20-year-old son, a 17-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old son. They're the first thing you think of. You immediately start thinking 'Are they gonna have to go to a law enforcement officer's funeral'?" he said.
While lying in the road receiving medical treatment, he said he asked someone to bring him his phone. He called his wife.
"I needed my family to hear first. I did not need them to have somebody knocking at my door, somebody making a phone call or worse, the kids finding out on social media," he said.
It is not the first time he's had to make an emergency call like that to his wife.
In 2003, Hall was rear-ended on duty while working a traffic crash on I-75 in the pouring rain. He sustained minor injuries.
In 2001, he was working for the United States Secret Service at the White House on Sept. 11. His wife was pregnant.
"After the Pentagon was struck, I made a quick phone call to her just saying, 'hey, I love you. Tell our son I love him' and I hung up on her," he said.
Hall said his wife gave birth two days later to their first child.
He said the community's support following his recent injury has been tremendous. He has received dozens of letters, cards and thank you notes, including from school children.
While he said the positive outweighs the negative, he has lingering questions about the teenagers who put him in the hospital and could have cost him his life.
"I want to know why," he said. "We all know these are kids that had stolen multiple cars, firearms, running from police and now here we are running over people, running over police officers. I just want to know what got you to this point in your life."
Hall said he knows he may never get an answer.
"Fortunately, I'm still here today. Probably shouldn't be. But it could have been bad. Instead of an attempted murder charge, it could have been a murder charge," he said.
Hall plans to return to duty as soon as he is medically cleared.
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