LOUISVILLE, Ky. – After spending more than three months in the care of UofL Health, Orange County Indiana Sheriff’s Department Deputy Zac Andry—who was shot in the line of duty in January—has returned home.
Deputy Andry was shot four times during a traffic stop on State Road 56 in West Baden, Indiana, on Jan. 3. He was transported to UofL Health – UofL Hospital and underwent surgery on for his injuries, and was on a ventilator and sedated for weeks following the shooting.
“It was one of the worst cases I have seen,” said Emily Sieg, M.D., director of neurotrauma. “He made it out of the [operating room], which is the first big step. We had a really tough couple of weeks in the ICU with difficulty managing the pressures in his head and just getting him to survive.”
Deputy Andry has made great progress and has been doing occupational, physical and speech therapy at UofL Health – Frazier Rehabilitation Institute since February.
“What I think about now is taking steps toward quality of life,” said Darryl Kaelin, M.D., medical director of Frazier Rehab Institute. “Can you be aware of what is going on around you? Can you interact with people around you? And can you start to tell people what you want and need? He is moving toward all those steps, which is fabulous.”
“Today means the absolute world,” Deputy Andry’s wife, Darian, said. “We wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for his surgeons who literally saved his life.”
Additional media coverage:
- Orange County deputy released from Louisville hospital months after he was shot in the head (WDRB)
- ‘Means the world’: Southern Indiana deputy shot in line of duty returns home after recovery (WLKY)
- Heroic return: Deputy Zach Andry welcomed home by grateful community (WHAS)
- Orange Co. deputy released from Frazier Rehab, recovering after being shot in line of duty (WAVE)
- Deputy Andry returns home (Dubois County Herald)
