Sandy Springs officer recounts being struck by car while directing traffic

Officer Sida of the Sandy Springs Police said they were struck by a car while directing traffic on northbound 400 near the North Springs MARTA station, suffering two broken legs and a concussion.

"That's the last thing I remember until talking to paramedics that were on scene helping me," Officer Sida said, describing how a vehicle came onto the shoulder toward them while they were diverting traffic after another crash. They said they broke both tibias and fibulas and sustained a concussion.

Officer Sida said recovery lasted about six months and included in-home therapy and, after roughly eight weeks when they could walk again, twice-weekly outpatient therapy sessions. As part of rehabilitation, they set a goal of running a 5K; the officer said the Sandy Springs police chief and co-workers joined and ran the race with them.

Returning to uniform for the first shift after recovery felt both anxious and exciting, Officer Sida said. "I was back to be out to happy to be back to work and but still obviously a little bit of nerves after everything that happened," they said. The officer closed with advice to colleagues: stay motivated and push recovery while following doctors' orders.

The remarks focus on a single on-duty crash and the personal and occupational aspects of recovering and returning to work; no formal policy changes or departmental actions were recorded in the transcript.