Hero police officer who almost died when he was crushed by burglar's getaway car returns to work
- Pc Pete McGinn suffered devastating injuries tackling criminal Carl Anderson
- Dramatic mobile phone footage shows pair wrestling before Anderson flees
- The officer suffered multiple fractures to his legs and pelvis in the crush
- But this week he returned to work in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands
A police officer who almost died when a fleeing burglar crushed him with his getaway car has returned to work.
Pc Pete McGinn suffered devastating injuries while tackling criminal Carl Anderson, 51, who 'used the car as a weapon' against the police officer, on June 7 last year.
He was pinned against a lamppost as he clung to the door of the blue Honda Stream as Anderson fled, leaving the 45-year-old lying in the road in Erdington, Birmingham with horrific fractures to his legs and pelvis.
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PC Pete McGinn suffered devastating injuries while tackling criminal Carl Anderson, 51, who 'used his getaway car as a weapon' against the police officer. But, against the odds, he has now returned to work
He was pinned against a lamppost as he clung to the door of the blue Honda Stream while Anderson fled, leaving the 45-year-old lying in the road in Erdington, Birmingham with horrific fractures to his legs and pelvis
Dramatic footage taken on a mobile phone shows Anderson desperately wrestling with Pc McGinn as another police van tries to ram the car off the road.
Fearing the worst he even asked colleagues to tell his family he loved them as they administered first aid.
They called for medics who rushed him into a six hour operation to pin his broken body together.
This week he returned to work as part of an investigation team based at Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands.
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The constable, who has served with West Midlands Police since 2002, has also been given a bravery award to commend his heroic actions.
He said: 'I was starting to go stir crazy at home, not to mention driving my wife mad.
'I'm only doing three hours a day at the moment and juggling shifts around hospital appointments and physio, but it's just great to be back.
Anderson, from Aston, Birmingham, was jailed for 12 years in September last year at Birmingham Crown Court
'I've got another major operation pencilled in for later this year so I'm preparing for another extended period of rehab.
'I'd always said I wanted to return to front-line policing but in light of the injury I'm looking at moving into a detective role, and hopefully next year I can return full-time.
'It's a great honour, but every officer at that awards ceremony will tell you the same: that they were just doing their job.
'People sign-up as police officers knowing they are likely to get into potentially dangerous situations in order to protect the public, that's what I did and what I'm determined to do for the rest of my police career.'
Anderson, from Aston, Birmingham, was jailed for 12 years in September last year at Birmingham Crown Court.
He pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm with intent, burglary, dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, and driving without insurance.
The court was told he used the car 'as a weapon' slamming it into reverse and pinning the helpless officer between the passenger door and the metal pole.
He went the wrong way around a roundabout at 70mph before forcing another police car to swerve to avoid a head-on collision.
He abandoned the car near the scene but was arrested at his home later the same day.
Immediately after the crash surgeons inserted pins and plates into Pc McGinn's left leg and hip and transferred an artificial ligament into his shattered knee.
Months later he underwent another gruelling 'nerve transfer' operation to try and bring back the feeling.
He faces going under the knife once again to replace the tendons in his cruciate ligament and has lost all feeling in his right foot.
Dramatic footage taken on a mobile phone shows Anderson desperately wrestling with Pc McGinn as another police van tries to ram the car off the road
Fearing the worst after the accident, PC McGinn (pictured outside court) asked colleagues administering first aid to tell his family he loved them
Pc McGinn has now returned to work. He was handed a Chief Constable's Commendation from West Midlands Police and on October 16 he will travel to London for a Downing Street reception
Pc McGinn was handed a Chief Constable's Commendation from West Midlands Police and on October 16 he will travel to London for a Downing Street reception.
He will then attend the national Police Bravery Awards where he could be named the Britain's bravest cop.
This week Pc McGinn returned to work as part of an investigation team based at Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands
Chief Superintendent Rachel Jones, head of the Birmingham North local policing unit, and Pc McGinn's commander, said: 'It's fantastic to see Pete returning to duty.
'He's been warmly welcomed back by his colleagues and it's been a real morale booster for everyone.
'Pete's courageous actions have rightly been praised at the highest levels and I can't think of anyone more deserving of a Chief Constable's Commendation.
'But the manner in which he's conducted himself since the incident, dealing with his long rehabilitation and the court case, has been exemplary.'
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