Des Moines police officer, critically injured when he was hit by a truck in 2011, has died

Senior police officer Phoukham Tran, who was forced to retire after being hit by a truck while directing traffic at the Iowa State Fair, has died. He was 65.

Tran was critically injured in the line of duty Aug. 19, 2011. The impact from a 3-ton pickup threw him 47 feet, according to a Des Moines Register interview with Tran in 2016. His lung was punctured, ribs were broken and he suffered serious head injuries. Tran's heart stopped beating for 12 minutes during surgery.

The veteran police officer spent a month at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and another four months in rehabilitation facilities before returning home. He had to relearn how to talk, walk, write and perform daily tasks.

Tran medically retired from the force after the incident. He had served 30 years with the Des Moines Police Department before his retirement.

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"SPO Tran was a highly-respected police officer and member of the Des Moines Police Department family, and will forever be remembered for his selfless service to the community," a news release from the police department said.

Funeral and memorial services are pending.

Tran and his wife, Chalouaiphone, were in medical school before the Vietnam War forced the couple to flee to a refugee camp in Thailand, where they spent eight months in hard conditions, his wife previously told the Register.

They landed in the U.S. in 1980. Tran was fluent in Laotian, Vietnamese and French, but not English. He took a job as a dishwasher and signed up for English classes.

He joined the Des Moines Police Department in 1982 and spent 18 years as a cadet before becoming a full-time officer in 2000. He worked with the city's Southeast Asian community and served as a translator for his colleagues.

Keith Terry, the driver of the Ford F-350 that struck Tran, was convicted of serious injury by motor vehicle and OWI. He received a seven-year sentence and was paroled in 2013.

Kyle Werner is a reporter for the Register. Reach him at kwerner@dmreg.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines officer, injured when hit by a truck in 2011, has died