Officer facing long journey back

For a police officer who prides himself on meticulously documenting his cases, it's tough for Sgt. Rick Keys not to remember the wreck that almost cost him his career and his life.

The North Charleston police officer had volunteered to help Myrtle Beach police during the Atlantic Beach Bike Fest during Memorial Day weekend. Something went wrong a half-hour after he started a shift at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 27.

He was riding his motorcycle down an emergency lane on South Ocean Boulevard at 11th Avenue, going about 35 mph, when a 1976 Cadillac pulled in front of him. The South Carolina Highway Patrol said the Cadillac driver failed to yield the right of way.

"One moment you're at work, the next moment you're in a dark room with machines beeping," Keys said. "That was scary."

After 20 years on bikes and extensive professional training, Keys forgot how vulnerable he was to surrounding traffic. The wreck also strengthened his conviction that all riders should wear helmets and other safety gear, as he was at the time of the crash.

"That's going to be mounted," he said at his office last week, patting the badly scraped helmet he wore during the crash. "That helmet probably saved my life."

He returned to work on light duty last week, but wants his old job back, bike and all. For now, he has trouble lifting his left arm much above his waist.

"I've been an active person ever since I can remember," he said. "I can't sit still for five seconds. I've got to be doing something."

The accident is a blank spot. Keys woke up two days later in the Grand Strand Regional Medical Center ICU. He didn't know he had been in a crash until a nurse told him.

The injuries were extensive: two fractured discs in his neck, spine fractures at C-5 and C-6, 47 stitches above his left eye, broken teeth, broken left arm, wrist and clavicle and road rash on his right arm and both legs.

Witnesses described Keys' motorcycle catching the Cadillac's front bumper and Keys flying through the air upside down. His left side hit a curb, leaving his lung at half capacity because of bruising.

Highway Patrol Cpl. Marty Housand has known Keys for years and happened to arrive at the accident about 30 seconds later.

"He didn't know who I was," Housand said. "It was pretty devastating. We all ride motors, and I just got done talking to him."

The wreck was full of cruel coincidence for someone who makes it a point to attend the funeral of any local officer killed on duty. This year, Keys has escorted five funeral processions for officers who died in the Tri-County area.

A country music performer since childhood, Keys donned a mournful black Stetson and sang "Angels Among Us" at a memorial service after Moncks Corner officers Pfc. Lonnie Wells and Cpl. Marcus Stiles were shot and killed in March.

"Every year, I put together the float for fallen officers," he said. "This year, I almost ended up with my name on it."

The deaths of two friends in motorcycle accidents in November bothered Keys enough that he sold his personal bike, a 2003 Kawasaki Voyager. One of the friends was Chad Rood, a Charleston County Sheriff's deputy and fellow motorcycle cop who died after an off-duty crash.

Motorcycle cops, or "motor officers" in their own lingo, enjoy a strong bond. The locals train together and know each other even if they work for different agencies.

During the Atlantic Beach Bike Fest, deputies from Charleston County's motor squad were working in North Myrtle Beach. They heard about Keys' wreck almost immediately and arrived at the hospital at nearly the same time as the ambulance that carried him to the hospital.

One of them, Sgt. Rob Grimsley, has been a friend of Keys since the early 1990s.

"He is very passionate about being a police officer," Grimsley said. "If it can be done, Rick will come back and do it."

Keys started his public service career in 1979 when he joined the Unicoi County, Tenn., Emergency Medical Services at 17. Six years later, he became a local county sheriff's deputy. In 1989, he signed on with North Charleston, where he distinguished himself as officer of the year in 1999 and 2000.

Keys and his wife, Joanne, wanted to thank the friends, family members and strangers who have prayed for his well-being.

"I've been in public service 27 years," he said. "This (accident) scared me to death."

Reach Noah Haglund at 937-5550 or nhaglund@postand courier.com