‘He is awake’: Wife says trooper taken off ventilator days after hit-and-run crash

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - A South Carolina state trooper is in the hospital after he was seriously hurt during a hit-and-run collision over the weekend.

Lance Corporal Devin Kugler was standing outside his patrol car on Cedar Lane Road in Greenville County around 2 a.m. on Sunday when he was struck. A suspect accused of fleeing the scene has been arrested.

Kugler’s wife, Mandie, said he is in critical condition in the ICU at Greenville Memorial Hospital after the crash. Kugler suffered a broken pelvis, a shattered humerus, multiple breaks in his left tibia, contusions, cuts and road rash.

He is sedated currently, but Mandie said her husband is a fighter. He has been able to wiggle both sets of toes, squeeze her hand, and his pupils react to light.

On Saturday, Oct. 22, in a Facebook post she said her husband was taken off the ventilator and is looking better.

She said CT scans show he doesn’t have severe head trauma or severe abdominal injuries.

“I am so grateful for this,” Mandie Kugler posted on Facebook. “I cannot express the blessing this is.”

Mandie and Devin Kugler have five children and are expecting another baby. A fundraiser set up to help with his medical expenses has already raised more than $14,300.

“Pray for our babies, as this has been emotional for them as they grasp what has happened to their dad,” Mandie Kugler said in her post.

Read her full update below:

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