Mom hails trooper’s road to recovery

Jace Radke

Tuesday, June 12, 2001 | 10:43 a.m.

The mother of Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Bobby Kintzel said her son is a fighter.

Kintzel, who is recuperating after incurring serious injuries while on duty, is proving her right.

Kintzel was moved Monday from University Medical Center to a rehabilitation center.

"I'm going to call him the miracle kid," Juanita Kuhn said. "It's a wonderful, joyful day. I can finally cry tears of joy."

Kintzel, 30, suffered life-threatening injuries when he was struck by a speeding sport utility vehicle April 21 on U.S. 95 near Flamingo Road. Kintzel was hit while placing metal road spikes in an attempt to stop the fleeing suspect.

Dr. John Fildes, UMC trauma medical director, said Kintzel is breathing without the help of a ventilator, but he said the officer's road to recovery is a long one. Kintzel sustained numerous fractures, internal bleeding and brain injuries, which required surgery.

"It's hard to really list his most serious injuries, because there are so many," Fildes said. "He had significant injuries to his brain, chest, abdomen and pelvis. He will be in long-term care for a period of time before any rehab can begin.

"It's impossible to predict what will happen, but we hope that he'll be able to return to an independent life with his family."

Nine highway patrol cars provided escort for the ambulance that transported Kintzel to HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital on Valley View Boulevard near Charleston Boulevard.

About 20 troopers were with Kintzel's family at UMC. Kintzel, who was lying on a stretcher in preparation for the move to HealthSouth, tried to look around to acknowledge his friends and family, Trooper Alan Davidson, an NHP spokesman, said.

"Everyday he's been doing a little better, and he's been a little more responsive," Davidson said. "He was able to come out today, get some fresh air and see the natural light. I know he's happy, and it's a great day for his family and the community. He was able to give his wife her first kiss in seven weeks (Sunday)."

Troopers who work with Kintzel were prepared for the worst, and Kintzel's situation remained critical weeks after the accident, Davidson said.

"Everyone is always asking about him, and now you just feel like a kind of weight has been lifted off your chest," Davidson said. "He should get the tracheotomy tube out this week and hopefully they'll also take the cage off his pelvis soon."

Kintzel, a six-year trooper, Gulf War veteran and Valley High School graduate, was injured during a chase in which drivers reached speeds of 115 mph as they traversed Henderson, Boulder City and Las Vegas.

Vornelius Phillips, 25, was arrested and charged with running down Kintzel. Phillips also is charged with killing a Las Vegas prostitute the morning of April 21, prior to the chase.

A grand jury also has alleged that Phillips stole a cab at McCarran International Airport about 8 a.m. with a 59-year-old woman in the back seat.

The woman jumped from the moving cab after Phillips allegedly refused to stop, the grand jury transcript said. The woman, a tourist from Maryland, sustained two punctured lungs, a broken a leg, several broken ribs and a broken collarbone.

Phillips later ditched the cab and allegedly stole a Chevrolet Tahoe from a woman on Interstate 215, according to the grand jury's indictment. Phillips eventually made his way to northbound U.S. 95 near Flamingo, where police used their cars to funnel three lanes of traffic into one. Police testified, however, that Phillips drove to the middle lane and directly toward Kintzel.

Officers at the scene said the impact was strong enough to flip Kintzel, who struck one of the NHP patrol cars that was being used to block the lanes. Phillips was arrested seconds later.

A pair of doctors have differing opinions as to whether Phillips is mentally competent to stand trial. If there is trial, prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty.

Support for Kintzel has poured in from law enforcement agencies across the country. Kuhn has launched a website -- http:// caringBridge.com/nv/bobby -- and a fund has been established at Bank of America to help Kintzel's family. Donations can be made at any branch under the account number 004963619217.

"We know we have some down days ahead of us," Kuhn said. "It's going to be tough, and your faith sometimes slips a little, but it always comes back. I hope he could go back to being a trooper, because it's what he always wanted to do."