OPP officer back home after being run over by truck in St. Thomas
The officer suffered contusions, abrasions, sprains and a “gaping hole” on the inside of his left knee, his wife said.
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A veteran Ontario Provincial Police officer who was run over by a truck during a traffic stop in St. Thomas is home recovering after surgery and a five-day hospital stay, his wife says.
An officer on patrol stopped a suspicious vehicle on July 20 on Highway 3 near First Avenue in St. Thomas, but the driver took off and struck him, Elgin County OPP said. The officer was seriously injured.
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A suspect was later arrested at a home.
Court documents for the accused, a 40-year-old London man, identify the injured officer as Const. Robert Enzlin, a member of the highway safety division who has previously taught a course for police officers on commercial motor vehicle enforcement.
Enzlin’s wife of 35 years, Elisabeth, revealed details about the collision and daily updates on his condition in a series of social media posts.
A truck and trailer ran over Enzlin, leaving him with contusions, abrasions, sprains and a “gaping hole” on the inside of his left knee, she wrote on Facebook one day after the incident.
“While no bones are broken, he will have surgery later today to repair the compromised knee joint,” she wrote.
The surgery was a success and Enzlin began physiotherapy two days later, she added. He was discharged after five days and spent his birthday on Tuesday at home.
“What a year it has been and here’s to the start of a new one, my dear,” Elisabeth wrote in the post that included photos of Enzlin giving a bandaged thumbs up with a birthday cake.
“You are tough, brave, faith-filled, hopeful, positive, motivated and undoubtedly you will be the best you can be with God’s help. Happy birthday, sweetheart!”
The Ontario Provincial Police Association, the union that represents OPP officers and civilian staffers, said on Wednesday it is relieved the injured officer is recovering.
“It is unacceptable to the OPP Association that yet another police officer has been seriously injured by a suspect that is out on bail. We will continue to advocate for bail reform at every opportunity to keep our members and the public safe,” the association said in a statement.
The man charged in the case was scheduled to appear in a St. Thomas court on Wednesday.
Court records show he was on bail at the time of the crash and under a driving ban and house arrest as part of his bail conditions stemming from charges laid in 2023 that included impaired driving, stunt driving, fail to stop at the scene of an accident, possession of cocaine and driving with marijuana readily available.
The man was granted bail after both he and his surety pledged $1,000 each. Under his release conditions, the man is required to live with his surety, not leave the house between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and not drive a vehicle, the documents say.
His latest charges in connection with the July 20 incident include dangerous driving causing bodily harm, flight from police, resisting a peace officer, assault with intent to resist arrest, identity fraud and two counts of failure to comply with a release order.
The identity fraud charge is for allegedly impersonating a man with a different name to avoid arrest, court documents say.
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