A suspect who ran over

an Orlando Police officer in 2015 pleads no contest the day his trial was set to begin.

The wife of an Orlando Police officer gave emotional court testimony Tuesday about how her family’s life has been affected in the two years since her husband was run over by suspects fleeing in a car.

Jessica Anderson spoke at the sentencing hearing of the passenger in the vehicle, Angel Nieves, 20. Also Tuesday, the driver unexpectedly pleaded no contest to aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer.

Anderson spoke about how her husband, William Anderson, almost died from the complications from his injuries.

“I was told he had a 50 percent chance of living,” she said, sobbing. “He’ll no longer be the husband and father he used to be.”

Nieves, who did not make a statement, was sentenced to five years in prison for the July 13, 2015, incident.

The driver, Edward Kelty, faces at least eight years and up to life in prison.

William Anderson said he is in constant pain throughout his body.

“No medicine or treatment dulls the pain,” he said.

Jessica Anderson said she had to leave her career as an attorney to take care of her husband and family.

“We will never get our old lives back,” she said. “It’s been a challenge every day.”

Kelty hit Anderson with his vehicle about 2:45 a.m., police said.

The incident forced the officer to retire after nine years on the force and the recovery process will last a lifetime, he said.

“I still have yet to carry my daughter,” William Anderson told reporters. “I walk around with a cane, [I have] nightmares, PTSD, depression, anxiety, flashbacks. I had to retire because of his actions that night.”

Kelty’s attorney, Roger Weeden, said his client decided to enter the plea after coming to an agreement with prosecutors.

He said Kelty is “very remorseful.”

“This is a very difficult and tragic situation,” Weeden said.

He will make the case at sentencing that the vehicle did not directly strike Anderson.

The attorney also said that because Kelty was 17 at the time of the incident, his brain was not fully developed to make sound decisions.

William Anderson said he didn’t understand why Kelty waited until Tuesday to make the plea.

“He strung it out over two years,” he said, with his service dog Polo at his side. “If he wanted to plead to his highest charge, then he could have done it [at the beginning].”

Anderson was responding to a shots-fired call when he saw a vehicle matching the description near Kirkman and Vineland roads.

He ran around the front of the car, and that’s when Kelty hit the gas, striking Anderson.

Kelty’s sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 20. Anderson said he would like Kelty to apologize to him and for him to be sentenced to “at least 20 years” in prison.