POLICE OFFICER RECOVERING FROM ACCIDENT INJURIES

After four full-scale operations, doctors say that Cape Girardeau police officer Dan Niswonger is well on his way to full recovery.

Niswonger was seriously injured April 2 when the police motorcycle he was operating collided with a southbound van near North Sprigg and Emerald streets. The officer was working traffic control at a running event near the Show Me Center.

Upon impact the officer was thrown from his motorcycle into a nearby guywire.

Niswonger was initially transported to the St. Francis Medical Center, where his condition was stabilized, readying him for transport to Saint Louis University Hospital.

Since being admitted to the St. Louis hospital, Niswonger has undergone several operations to repair severe damage to his pelvic area and other major injuries he sustained in the accident.

"Dan's doing really, really well," said Dr. Marc Shapiro, director of trauma services at Saint Louis University Hospital. "We have a lot of recovery ahead of us -- we're talking months -- but he's sleeping through the night and he's been out of intensive care for over a week."

The doctor said that Niswonger will have to stay in the hospital for at least another couple of weeks to allow his shattered pelvis to begin healing.

"Because of all the little bones broken in his pelvis, Dan will have to go through extensive rehabilitation," said Shapiro. "He is really in excellent spirits and very positive about everything that's happening to him. That makes all the difference in the world."

The doctor also said that Niswonger was "out of the woods" with the major soft-tissue injuries he received to his backside.

At first the doctor described the injuries as "a severe case of road-burn." For several days Niswonger was being watched around the clock while in the intensive-care unit of the hospital. The doctors were wary of an infection setting in.

"His backside is healing," said Shapiro Thursday. "Now we're concentrating on putting him back together again."

Members of the Cape Girardeau Police Department and other area law enforcement agencies gathered some money for the Niswongers, which is allowing his wife to stay in St. Louis while her husband recovers.

He is also receiving a constant stream of visitors and cards from Cape Girardeau, which Shapiro said adds to the officer's good spirits.

"He misses his home and all the folks in Cape Girardeau," Shapiro said. "He's had visits from officers from Cape Girardeau, the St. Louis police have been in here to see him, and there's just a lot of good rapport going on between everyone right now.

"We're just as pleased as we could be about his progress," he said. "Dan's had to undergo some painful treatments and operations, but he's hanging in there."

There is one area of his treatment that Niswonger only slowly responds to, Shapiro said.

"We're trying to convert him into a Cardinals fan," the doctor said. "He's a stubborn one on that. But they won their last two games, so he's coming around."

Shapiro added, "We'll return him to you shortly."

Those wishing to drop the Niswongers a line can do so by mailing a card or letter to Saint Louis University Hospital, 3635 Vista, room 613, St. Louis, 63110.