After overcoming a huge and critical injury during the line of work, the Theodore Roosevelt Association Award recognized the duty and resilience of Brannon Barber according to a Fox 4 News article from April 19. They say, 

 

“Tuesday, Barber was presented with the Theodore Roosevelt Association Award for the Texas chapter. A Dallas officer is selected annually who continues to provide praiseworthy service despite serious injury or illness.

 

“As a child, I knew I wanted to protect and serve my community, and I completed just that,” the officer said. “Though I can no longer patrol the streets of Dallas, I am still a police officer.”

 

Barber says he takes nothing for granted as he lives what he calls his second opportunity to live. 

 

“Life is not always about winning. It’s about when you are faced with adversity and how you overcome those adversities,” he said. “My life goal now is to take advantage of my second opportunity to live.”

 

The whole heartbreaking yet miraculous story which began on a fateful day at Interstate 30 according to a DPB Beat article from April 19 which reports,

 

“While Officer Barber carried out his assignment with the utmost regard for safety, an impatient driver with a selfish temperament for everyone present, disregarded the multitude of marked squad cars, uniformed officers, well-lit flares, and cones to circumvent the designated safe pathway.  Because of the impatient driver’s action, he critically struck and ran over Officer Barber. 

 

He suffered a laceration of his liver, spleen, and abdomen, multiple minor fractures to his ribs, hyperextension of his wrist and ankles, and a traumatic brain injury.  For several weeks after the accident, Officer Barber was kept in a medically induced coma to allow his body to properly heal from the trauma that it had just experienced

 

At one point in his recovery, no one medically or otherwise could determine if Officer Barber could or would return with any of his physical or mental abilities intact.  With around-the-clock vigilance of prayer by his family, friends, and community, this resilient young man, after several months, slowly regained his consciousness.  It was very apparent that he had lost vital memories and as a result, he had to relearn how to stand, walk, write, speak, eat and navigate.  In this new journey, he underwent extensive medical, physical, speech, and other associated expert treatments.”

 

Brannon Barber was supposed to accept the Theodore Roosevelt Association Award back in 2020 but unfortunately the COVID-19 pandemic started and prevented the recognition of remarkable people.