PORTLAND — Portland police say a 19-year veteran officer struck by a falling tree during Monday’s powerful Northwest storm is paralyzed below the waist.
Sgt. Pete Simpson said late Friday night that doctors don’t believe Officer Paul Meyer will regain the use of his legs. Meyer remains hospitalized in Portland.
He was taking part in all-terrain vehicle training when he was hit by a tree that witnesses described as “telephone pole-sized."
Officers were training on Hayden Island, located in the Columbia River between Portland and Vancouver, Wash. Though the storm was anticipated, Simpson said earlier that police went ahead with the mid-morning training session because strong winds had yet to accompany the rain.
