BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Tears, smiles and applause greeted New York State Sergeant Station Commander Salvatore Mattina this afternoon as he was released from the Erie County Medical Center following what doctors call a "remarkable recovery."
ECMC staff lined the hall to send him off with great fanfare.
Outside, a line of state troopers waited to greet him as he left the hospital after 26 days. On his lap - his young daughter, dressed from head to toe in a state trooper's uniform, just like her hero dad.
"The tribulations from being at the hospital were nothing compared to what could have been," said a family member in a statement sent to 7 News. "Let it be a strong reminder that tomorrow is not promised."
Sgt. Mattina was critically injured on September 13 in a collision between his state police motorcycle and a vehicle in the Niagara County Town of Porter. The 10-year veteran of the force suffered multiple fractures, internal bleeding and damage to his organs.
