Texas trooper who survived devastating crash shares recovery journey

DPS trooper says speaking about trauma and recovery helps others facing long roads to healing.

More than three years after a crash, doctors said left him with just an 8% chance of survival, Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Curtis Putz says sharing his story is now part of his healing process.

“The last three years has been a very long road,” Putz said Friday during a “Trauma Survivors Reunion” at Baylor University Medical Center.

Putz attended the event to reconnect with members of his care team and encourage others recovering from traumatic injuries.

“They hear my story, and they’re like, ‘Well, he’s doing it, maybe I need to do it,’” Putz said.

Putz was seriously injured while working the scene of an 18-wheeler crash on an Interstate 45 overpass in Navarro County. Authorities said another vehicle lost control on the ice, struck Putz’s SUV, and then hit him.

Doctors told him after the crash that he had only an 8% chance of surviving.

After spending three months in the hospital, Putz was released in 2023. He said the recovery process continued long after leaving medical care.

“It’s not easy, it’s not fun,” Putz said. “It was a long road, it was a hard road. It was a lot of pain, but getting the movement back and everything is so important.”

Even after months of physical therapy and regaining mobility, Putz said returning to work and adjusting mentally remained difficult.

“Even when I went back to work, I thought I was a lot better, and I wasn’t,” he said.

Putz has now been back working full-time with DPS for nearly two years.

He said Friday’s reunion gave him another chance to thank the medical team that cared for him and offer encouragement to other trauma survivors.

“Always pray. Pray,” Putz said. “My wife did a lot of praying, our community did a lot of praying.”

“And just always fight, never give up,” he said.