On the night of February 5th, DeSoto County Deputy Austin Eldridge was simply doing a good deed and doing his job.
He was struck by a car in the eastbound lane of I-269, just east of the Laughter Road exit. There was debris on the roadway and Deputy Eldridge was assisting motorists and attempting to help change a tire at the time.
After the accident, he was airlifted to a hospital in Memphis where his left leg was amputated above the knee. He also suffered numerous broken bones, his right leg was severely injured, and his spleen was removed.
Katherine Harris of Memphis was charged with DUI involving serious injury.
The long road to recovery began.
In May, Eldridge posted the following to Facebook:
Getting better took a lot of work…
In late May, Eldridge was getting comfortable again behind the wheel.
This week, Deputy Eldridge was finally able to return to work and his coworkers were thrilled. Congratulations on a job well done! Welcome back!
