MIAMI — Paul Schippereit was crossing Biscayne Boulevard at 23rd Street when a yellow BMW 320i slammed into him and changed the trajectory of his life. The young Miami police officer was responding to a robbery. The victim had been shot in the face. The year was 1984.
Only 27 and a sworn officer for two years, Schippereit would spend the next four years in and out of hospitals and undergoing surgeries in a futile attempt to recover from a badly broken leg, internal bleeding and a severe brain injury. He was placed on permanent disability in 1988 and never returned to work.
Schippereit’s watch ended on July 4 after decades of procedures and operations. He took his last breath at a medical facility in Virginia. He was 66. Through the years, as his brain deteriorated, he lost both legs and an arm.
