Rookie cop returns to duty one year after traumatic burns

CLERMONT — One year after suffering burns on most of his body, rookie cop Kris Kruse will return to full-time duty today as a Clermont police officer.

The 22-year-old, who always wanted to be a police officer, suffered burns over 70 percent of his body the night of Super Bowl 50, Feb. 8, 2016, when a gas can tipped over into a bonfire and exploded during a gathering that was meant to be good fun among friends.

Doctors had to use cadaver skin as a temporary treatment but later harvested the rest of Kruse’s unburned skin for future grafts, he said. The only part of his body that was spared was his face.

Over the next two months, he had 10 surgeries to remove dead skin and transplant flesh to the scorched areas.

“I do remember it. Very vividly,” Kruse — who returned to administrative duty last fall — said Tuesday. “The medicine would help take the edge off, but there was a lot that the medicine couldn’t cover up.”

Today, however, Kruse is newly engaged and awaits only the arrival of a special bulletproof vest before he can patrol the streets again.

“He sets the bar very high. I mean, he has shown such willpower, such discipline, such determination,” Clermont police Chief Chuck Broadway said.

Kruse — whose father, Jack Kruse, also is a Clermont officer — said he worked hard for months to recover.

Clermont residents and Kruse’s family raised tens of thousands of dollars to help with medical bills. Kruse also was grateful for people who heard about him through social media and offered support and prayers.