NYS trooper seriously injured in September accident returns home after surgeries

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – New York State Trooper Salvatore Mattina, a 10-year veteran of the force, was riding his State Police motorcycle in Niagara County on September 13 when a car failed to yield and crashed into him. After several operations and almost a month in the hospital, Mattina is finally home.

Even though he still cannot support his own weight on one leg, he completed rehabilitation on Wednesday and will now continue his recovery at home.

“He just plowed through it, like a soldier,” said one of Mattina’s doctors.

He suffered organ damage, internal bleeding and multiple broken bones.

“At least three operations in the first ten days he was here. You know, any injured patient who’s on a motorcycle and gets hit by a car, you can imagine the car winning,” said Jeffrey Brewer, chief of surgery at ECMC. “So there’s a lot of trauma being removed from the body, so those surgeries were mainly to repair broken bones.”

Doctors said it took more than a week for Mattina to be stable enough to send him to rehab.

“When you first go to the rehab unit, the medical rehab unit, you’re a little concerned about the progress you’re going to make given the limitations he had,” said Dr. Mary Welch, chief of medical rehabilitation services.

Brewer said a full recovery will take months.

“That doesn’t even touch on the emotional and mental aspects of multiple injuries like this,” he said.

As Mattina left the hospital Wednesday morning, tears, smiles and laughter graced the ECMC staff, state troopers, family and friends who lined the hallways.

On his lap, his daughter wore her own state police uniform.

“With all the pain and everything he’s going through, he sounded like Sam, and this kind of attitude will get you through what he’s going to go through in the near future – who knows how many years of recovery,” said Captain David of the NYSP. Martek.

Mattina’s future and return to work are uncertain, but Martek said he hopes his friend will wear the badge again, if that’s what Mattina wants.

“His life continues, he lives, this is a great day to rejoice,” Martek said.