Two years ago, Pieter Lucas ran 1.5 miles in less than 12 minutes, 51 seconds and passed the physical test to enter Howard County's police academy.
A few days later, while volunteering as an auxiliary officer at an accident scene on Thanksgiving Eve, Lucas was hit by a Chevrolet Blazer.
The impact threw him against his own sport utility vehicle and shattered his legs. That night, doctors amputated his lower left leg just above the knee.
Now equipped with a prosthetic leg, Lucas, 23, returned to the all-volunteer auxiliary force Friday and said he remains determined to become a police officer.
Months of physical therapy and training lie ahead of him. To achieve his dream, Lucas must again run 1.5 miles in less than 12 minutes, 51 seconds.
"I'm supposed to be able to run with this," Lucas said.
Unlike the wood and heavy plastic prosthetic devices used in the past, Lucas' new leg is light, custom-fitted and has a rather flexible knee joint.
Advances in technology have enabled several above-the-knee amputees to complete Ironman competitions and marathons. One recently ran the New York City Marathon in 4 hours, 20 minutes, a record, according to the New York Daily News.
For now, Lucas will spend a few weeks riding along with another auxiliary officer and then will return to his volunteer duties, which include directing traffic, writing parking tickets and tagging abandoned vehicles for towing.
He informed his mother of his plans Thursday, the day before he returned, she said.
"Of course, I'm worried because of what happened, but this is what he wants to do," Margaretha Lucas said.
"For him, it must feel like he's getting to be his old self."
It's unlikely that Lucas will stop there. His sister, Anna Lucas, told The Sun in November 2005 that as soon as her brother regained consciousness, he began asking whether he could turn in his final police academy application.
He wanted to "continue the process from his hospital bed," she said.
Lucas' recovery spurred the Maryland General Assembly to pass the Officer Pieter Lucas Act, which requires Howard County to obtain workers' compensation insurance for members of its small auxiliary force.
The county's insurance policy for auxiliary officers injured in the line of duty had limited reimbursement for the loss of limbs and proved insufficient to cover Lucas' medical bills.
