Wear It. For Life.

Part 2: A Blunt Point

Police Officer David Phillis is sure of one thing: Even a routine traffic accident investigation can be hazardous to your health. On February 1, 2003, he found out the hard way.

A 17-year veteran of the Findlay Township Police Department in Pennsylvania, Phillis was taking measurements in a private driveway at the scene of an earlier car crash when he was struck from behind by a Chevrolet station wagon. The vehicle's front passenger-side bumper first hit Phillis in the back of the left leg, bending him sharply back against the hood. He was thrown clear, landing on his right shoulder and head. It all happened in an instant.

Amazingly, the only thing broken was his police radio. Phillis had to use his mobile phone to call for help. A passerby also offered assistance.

"How he didn't get hurt, I couldn't tell you," said state police trooper Edward Hermick to a local newspaper reporter.

But according to the emergency room trauma surgeon who treated Phillis' bruises, the concealable body armor he was wearing prevented more serious bodily injury. He was wearing an NIJ Level II bullet-resistant vest manufactured by Point Blank Body Armor. Ballistic fabric, when combined with multiple plies to form a ballistic panel, is designed to spread out and dissipate high-velocity impacts. Phillis' vest protected his spine and internal organs by absorbing most of the blunt trauma energy from the impact of the vehicle.

This is not an uncommon story among those who credit their body armor for preventing serious or fatal injuries. Law enforcement officers face many threats, including assault with firearms and edged weapons, falls, fires, punches and kicks. But motor vehicle accidents account for the second highest number of body armor "saves" in the United States. In 2,700 cases documented between 1975 to the present, 37% were from motor vehicle crashes while 47% were assaults with a firearm, according to IACP/DuPont Kevlar Survivors Club® statistics.

Unfortunately, concealable body armor offers virtually no blunt trauma protection for the shoulders, and Phillis may have to undergo surgery to repair damage to his right rotator cuff. For the moment, however, he has returned to light duty.

"It's been a hard and painful road and I am not completely there yet," said Phillis in a letter to Point Blank. "But I realize that things could have been a lot worse and I am grateful that I survived this ordeal."

Phillis urged his fellow officers to invest in body armor if they haven't already, saying they should utilize all available means to increase their odds of survival while performing their job.

"I believe a lot of officers think body armor is only worn to protect against a firearm attack," said Phillis. He continued that hundreds of motor vehicles pass them each day which they may not realize pose a very real threat to their safety. "It only takes one of those vehicles to lose control to take or change their life forever."

The driver of the car that struck Phillis was cited with driving at an unsafe speed and careless driving.

UPDATE, AUGUST 4, 2003: Officer Phillis' shoulder surgery went very well and is almost back to 100%. He returned to active duty on Sunday, August 3, 2003.

UPDATE, JUNE 9, 2003: Officer Phillis underwent surgery on his right shoulder on June 6 and is expected to return to active duty in eight to ten weeks if physical therapy goes well. The driver who struck Phillis was found guilty in April of careless driving and driving at an unsafe speed and fined $50.

UPDATE, MARCH 25, 2004: Officer Phillis returned to active duty but soon after experienced difficulties attributed to a brain injury sustained in the accident. He is on light duty now and receives both physical and cognitive therapy five days a week. He says his progress makes him hopeful about a return to full-time police duties very soon.

See Wear It. For Life Part 1: The Combat Photographer
See Wear It. For Life Part 3: Letters From Iraq
See Wear It. For Life Part 4: Face to Face With Evil