Off-duty officer not covered by policy yet

SUMMERDALE, Ala. (WALA) - A Summerdale police officer suffered serious injuries after the police say his truck crashed into a ditch while off duty.

Officials said it happened around 8 a.m. Saturday.

They say Fent was on Hoffman Road in Summerdale when he swerved to miss an animal in the road.

Officers said Fent was off-duty at the time of the accident.

“It was foggy and that particular road does not have a shoulder to it. There is no median so if you leave the pavement, you're in gravel,” said Summerdale Assistant Police Chief Trent Dennis.

Summerdale Police Officer Terry Fent is at the University of South Alabama Medical Center with a broken back and almost 200 stitches in his head, according to his mother, Vivian Fent.

Summerdale's Mayor and Dennis went to visit Fent shortly after the accident.

“Terry doesn’t remember a lot about the accident. He was in critical condition and the state has the investigation on that,” Dennis said.

Vivian said Terry has been working in the police field since 1992.

“He has a lot of expertise in investigations and also has some forensics expertise that we needed for a small department,” Dennis said. “We actively recruited Terry with our department to help us along and we’re proud to have him as a member.”

Police said Fent joined the Summerdale Police Department in November, but wasn't covered by insurance yet.

“He was new to our agency and in a probationary status with our agency, and therefore, he did not have insurance. He has no health insurance right now,” Dennis said.

Antonia Fox lives in Summerdale and saw where the accident happened. She donated towards Fent’s medical expenses.

"I'm just trying to come in make it a little easier and help him out, and I think he is very badly injured,” Fox said.

“He is a fighter and lives for the job. He had a good future at Summerdale Police Department,” Dennis said.

Police said they are looking into the insurance policy, but they've never encountered this type of situation before.

They say Fent had the opportunity to go with Cobra Insurance, but it's too late now.

Fent’s mother said he should be fitted with a back brace Tuesday.

They expect Fent to take three months recover, but hope he can return home soon.

The Summerdale Police Department is setting up a trust fund to help with Fent’s medical expenses.

If you would like to donate and help the family out, you can make a check out to Terry Fent and drop it off at the Summerdale Police Department