SAN ANTONIO --
San Antonio police will be out in full force this holiday weekend targeting drunken drivers, and among those on the DWI task force will be Officer Michael Thornton.
The patrolman lost his leg back in January after a suspected drunken driver slammed into him on Interstate 35 and South Laredo Street as he was assisting a stranded motorist.
Speaking to a crowd on Tuesday about the state's Labor Day DWI crackdown, Thornton said he is eager to get back to work.
"I'm coming back to work, I promise, boss. I'm coming," Thornton said. "I'm going to keep going just as hard. You've got to know how hard you can push yourself."
Thornton has been in rehabilitation for the past eight months, and said his physical abilities are the same as they were before the accident.
"I could run, jump and swim just like I could before," Thornton said. "So if you're out there thinking I'll just fight him, or run from him, you don't want to be the guy who gets caught by the one-legged policeman because that's not going to look good in jail."
With a positive attitude and unbreakable spirit, Thornton says his focus now is greater than ever before.
He was recently named a permanent member of the department's DUI Unit, which means he'll be out on a daily basis catching drunk drivers.
"Their actions are not just affecting them, it's affecting the entire community," Thornton said. "The entire community suffers when one of these things happen."
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