WALWORTH COUNTY, Wis. — A Walworth County Sheriff’s Deputy, nearly killed by a drunk driver more than a year ago, opens up about his miraculous recovery and how deep the physical and mental wounds run.
"I probably take about 24, 25 pills a day,” said Deputy Wayne Blanchard.
He has been on a long journey of pain and recovery.
“It is a lot better than it used to be,” said Angela Blanchard, Wayne’s wife.
That's how the Blanchards think of Wayne's recovery after he was hit by a drunk driver who was fleeing from police in the summer of 2021.
"I started my shift at 10 p.m. July 31st of 2021,” said Wayne.
Just about three hours later, just after 1 a.m., Wayne was standing on the side of the road, ready to deploy stop sticks, when he was hit.
"I remember gravel hitting my face and I may have done this,” said Wayne.
He can’t remember the rest. But his wife cannot forget a detail. Wayne was standing behind a guardrail when the car hit that guardrail. It wrapped around Wayne, ripping the skin from his hands and his face. Then he was hit multiple times by the car. His wife saw him just after he was brought to the hospital.
“When I went into the room. He was conscious. They had put his face back on and they put a bandage to cover it so I couldn't see it was detached,” said Angela. “He held up his hands like this. His skin was like like a flap. It is called degloving, where all the skin comes off. But the bones weren't where they were supposed to be."
Wayne had cuts all over his body. His arms, hands, ribs, legs and even toes were all broken. He points out the scar on his body and it is hard to find a place that wasn't injured.
"This is what a car does to you when it doesn't stop,” said Wayne.
The courts determined the man who hit Wayne, Tony Perales, was drunk and on drugs as he drove nearly 100 miles per hour on a revoked license. Perales is now serving a 25-year prison sentence. Wayne and his family say they are living on their own.
"He misses helping people,” said Angela.
“I think it would have been easier had I been shot. I truly do. Recovery would have been rough,” said Wayne.
“This is pretty rough,” said Angela.
Wayne has undergone 46 surgeries so far. In January, he has at least two more as doctors try again to reconstruct his nose. They are still working on fixing his hands. But he says the mental pain is just as bad.
“I was sick of the pain I was in. I was sick of what it had done to Angela, our parents, our children, our grandchildren,” said Wayne.
Wayne says he was lucky he was already seeing a psychiatrist at the VA Hospital and had been before the crash. So he was able to get help for his depression once he talked to his doctor about it. Though he says it took a while before he was able to admit just how much mental pain he was in.
"To admit to myself, I'm struggling, it's OK,” said Wayne.
"We're in it together,” said Angela.
Both Wayne and his wife say they want people to know how serious the mental struggle has been, especially for victims living with long-term pain, and that help is out there.
If you or someone you know needs help, 988 is the three-digit number that connects you to the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. It offers all types of mental health help and connects you to a counselor to talk to for free.
