CAUGHT ON VIDEO: APD officer Cody Martin hit by vehicle working crash scene

"I thought to myself that 'you're about to get hit and you're going to die.'  I thought to myself 'there's no way you're going to survive, the car is coming way too fast,'" said Austin Police officer Cody Martin.

Officer Martin says he's been doing what he loves, keeping Austin safe, for just 10 months.

In February Officer Martin was investigating a collision on FM 973 by the Travis County Jail.  

It was about 9:30 on a Saturday night and traffic was flowing again after being backed up. 

Martin says a fellow officer was parked on the opposite side of the two-lane road writing up a tow sheet for the tow truck driver to sign.  The last step in working the scene. Martin's partner was trying to make a U-turn through the heavy traffic to get that paperwork to the driver on the other side of the road.

"Nobody was letting him merge.  And as a result he started cycling through his siren trying to catch people's attention, 'Hey I'm here, let me out,'" Martin said. 

But drivers weren't letting the officer in.  Martin says at one point his partner nearly got clipped.

"It was like an instinctive reaction.  I was like 'he's my co-worker, we're on the same shift.  He's like family to me, I've got to do something, I've got to take care of him.'  Because he would do the same for me," Martin said. 

Officer Martin made sure the coast was clear and stepped out into the roadway to block traffic for him.

"I had my flash light in my hand and I turned it to my strobe setting which just flashes really fast a bunch of times so I'd be more visible," Martin said.

And then -- impact.  A vehicle hit Martin flipping him through the air.

Officer Martin says he remembers what was going through his head when he was upside down in mid-air: "You're still alive.  Now protect yourself."

"I tucked my chin into my chest to make sure I didn't bang my head on the pavement when I landed," Martin said.  "My whole body was on fire, my hands felt like somebody dipped them in gasoline and set them on fire.  My left side of my upper body, I felt completely paralyzed."

The vehicle that hit him slowed down to about 10 miles an hour and then sped off according to the tow truck driver and Martin's fellow officer. "Which was tough for him because then he had to make the decision of 'Hey do I chase them or do I help my friend?'" Martin said.  

Officer Martin says his partner blocked traffic with his patrol car.

"He held my hand, he told me he was there for me, to make sure I was being taken care of.  He called for EMS and for more officers to come," Martin said.
                
Officer Martin has been recovering after a shoulder operation.  

Now he's on desk duty and starting physical therapy.

"At the time I didn't know this but when I saw the X-ray a couple of days later, my shoulder was like outside of the pocket and it was like way down here," Martin said.  

The detective working Martin's case tells him there have been tips on who hit him and drove away but no solid leads. "I'm not angry, I don't have any resentment towards being hit.  I would just like for them to take accountability for their actions, that way they can learn from their mistake so it doesn't happen to somebody else," Martin said.

Austin Police say the vehicle was reportedly carrying 3 passengers. It's described as 4-door, black or dark-colored. Possibly either a 2000 to 2003 Honda Accord or a 2000 to 2003 Nissan Altima.

And, of course, it may have a cracked windshield.

The charge would be Failure to Stop and Render Aid.

If you have any information call Austin Police at 512-974-5789