A Frisco police officer has returned home from the hospital after his sister said he broke his neck while taking advantage of a rare snow day in North Texas on Monday.
Sgt. Justin Hawthorn, his wife and one of their children were on a three-person tube being pulled by an ATV when the tube slammed into a tree, said his sister Jennifer Rowton, who was home in Arkansas when she got the news.
“We didn’t know how bad everybody was injured,” she said. “And that’s pretty frightening when you’re four or five hours away from them and you can’t be there.”
Hawthorn’s wife, Jessica, and their child suffered mild injuries and were discharged from the hospital the same day.
Hawthorn, 40, was released Wednesday and will be in a neck brace for at least three months, Rowton said. She said she told him, “You’re still here, you get to be here and see your kids grow up. And that’s the important part.”
Rowton started a GoFundMe page to cover medical expenses, recovery and living expenses while Hawthorn is out of work. As of Friday, it had reached its goal of $10,000, but donations remain open.
“The Hawthorn family has certainly been through a lot over the past week and our hearts go out to them,” Frisco Police Chief David Shilson said in an email. “Justin is part of our Frisco PD family, and we want him and his family to know that they will not be alone in the recovery process.”
