Injured officer recovering after Ted Drewes crash

WASHINGTON, Mo. - An injured police officer is out of the hospital and back home just in time for Christmas Day.

Three days after a car hit several people outside of Ted Drewes, injured Washington Police Officer Matt Cooper is showing improvement.

"He did make it home for Christmas. He's in a lot of pain,” Angela Koepke, Chief Mason Griffith Foundation’s director of daily operations, said.

But it could be a long road to recovery. Cooper was off-duty Sunday night when a car hit six people outside of Ted Drewes. He was trying to move the crowd away from the vehicle when he was hit. Cooper had multiple injuries and had to have surgery on his leg. Cooper is a school resource officer at Washington Middle School.

"He's amazing with staff but more amazing with our students and being able to talk with them if they have concerns, being able to joke with them in the hallway," Washington School District Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Kephart said.

Kephart says Cooper is gifted with connecting with the kids he serves. He talked about it recently in a school district podcast.

"Sometimes kids, for whatever reason, don't want to talk to a teacher or counselor and I tell them, 'I'm not a trained counselor but if you want someone to listen to you, I'll listen to you,'" he said in October on the Kephart Communications Podcast.

Now, he could be away from his job for months. So, the Chief Mason Griffith Foundation is raising money for Cooper's family.

"We want to support him and his family, not only with his medical bills but with his time off to give him plenty of time to rest, recoup and get back to work," Koepke said.

Washington Middle School principal Laura Bruckerhoff said he will be greatly missed until he can return.

"I'm grateful for him. I'm happy that he's okay. It doesn't surprise me that he stepped in and did what he did. I doubt he thought anything about himself. He was about who was there and protecting them," she said.

If you want to support the Cooper family through the Chief Mason Griffith Foundation, click here.