Mohammed Ali once said, “Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life like a champion.”
These words could easily describe the life of Clay County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office Deputy Matt Swartz, a man who faced numerous challenges that might have crushed others — but not him.
No matter how many or how difficult the obstacles were, he demonstrated remarkable resilience.
This is his story.
The beginning
Some of Swartz’s earliest memories involve sitting in his father’s car as his dad broke up bar fights or intervened in violent domestic disputes. His father, a Marine Corps Vietnam veteran, had transitioned into life as a small-town police officer. His mother was also a police officer, making public service a family tradition.
In high school, Swartz was a highly competitive hurdler and high jumper. This not only kept him physically fit from an early age but also sparked a lifelong passion for working out. After graduating, Swartz followed in his father’s footsteps by joining the Air Force to serve his country.
It was during his time in the Air Force that he first entered law enforcement, serving as a law enforcement specialist. Rising through the ranks, he became a sergeant with the 109th Security Police Squadron, serving honorably in both Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
In 1994, Swartz joined the family tradition by becoming a civilian police officer. After completing the police academy, he worked 70-80 hours a week for multiple agencies “part-time.” This demanding schedule eventually led to his first full-time position with a small city department in upstate New York.
In 1999, Swartz achieved his dream of joining the New York State Police. After graduating from the State Police Academy, he was assigned to a sector covering Montgomery and Fulton Counties in New York. The New York State Police is a full-service agency, handling the full spectrum of law enforcement calls, from domestic disputes to DWIs.
Alongside his law enforcement career, Swartz also served as a dedicated member of a local volunteer fire department. While he loved both roles, he especially cherished being a New York State Trooper. He described himself as a “balls-to-the-wall cop,” and with the balance of both careers, “life was good.”
The crash
On November 8, 2004, a decade into his career, Swartz was driving a passenger to work in his pickup truck. Without warning, at 7:34 a.m., a 19-year-old with a poor driving record turned directly into Swartz’s path and slammed into him, causing his truck to roll over four times. Luckily, Swartz’s passenger and the teenager sustained only minor injuries.
Swartz, however, was ejected through the back window of the pickup truck, hitting the unforgiving pavement beside it. His injuries were life-threatening and the MedFlight doctors medically induced a coma to save his life.
Mercifully, to this day, Swartz has no memory of the accident.
After nearly four weeks in a coma, Swartz woke up in his hospital bed. He later recounted how he tried to get up to use the bathroom but hit the floor hard. That was how he discovered he had lost his left leg.
During the violent ejection from his truck, Swartz had suffered multiple internal injuries, skull fractures, a crushed left leg and a broken arm. Due to the severity of the damage to his left leg, doctors amputated it five inches below the knee.
Most assumed Swartz’s career as a Trooper was over — but not Swartz.
He began his recovery journey in a wheelchair but soon researched and obtained a working prosthesis, choosing “the lightest possible” option. Therapy followed.
In therapy, Swartz learned to tolerate his new limb and eventually progressed to taking his first unaided steps with it. However, that milestone was overshadowed by a harsh reality — his insurance would no longer cover physical therapy or rehabilitation. Swartz recalled, “On the same day I was able to take my first steps on my own, I was left on my own to figure out what steps to take moving forward.”
Even though Swartz was a military veteran and a State Trooper, the accident had occurred off duty. “There would be no worker’s comp or big insurance settlement,” he shared. “I would have to rehabilitate myself.”
Initially, Swartz drifted without direction, but a friend at the State Police Employee Assistance Program introduced him to Dawn Evans, a physical therapist and lower-leg amputee. She guided him onto the path of self-rehabilitation and Swartz credited her with getting him back on track.
Throughout this period, the State Police held Swartz’s job open because he had promised, “I’ll be back.” While many supported him, some were skeptical, even resistant, to the idea that a trooper with one leg could do the job.
Swartz, however, was unflinching. “As officers, we take our ‘disabilities’ like we take evil on the job. When something bad happens, we crush it, we break it, we squash it — then we move on to the next dangerous, challenging thing. That’s what cops do,” he declared.
Swartz drew inspiration from military veterans who had lost limbs and returned to war zones. He believed he was capable of doing the same.
Additionally, thanks to his fellow troopers, Swartz didn’t have to worry about a paycheck during his rehabilitation. They had gifted him their vacation days, which were placed into a pool for him to draw wages from until his return.
The road back to ‘the road’
After researching rehabilitation techniques, Swartz began his self-rehabilitation journey. He built his strength and balance through back-and-forth and side-to-side movements, gradually progressing to walking and then running short distances. His first successful run covered just 20 yards. Over time, he advanced to running 5K races and even competing in mixed martial arts.
To prepare for his return to duty, Swartz varied his training regimen to include fast starts, sudden stops, climbing fences, traveling over uneven surfaces and moving through water. His workouts started slow but eventually became epic in scope.
Finally, the day came when Swartz tested in full gear to return as a firefighter — and he passed!
Shortly thereafter, Swartz undertook the grueling New York State Trooper’s test to return to road duty. He passed with flying colors.
On October 10, 2005, less than a year after his accident, Swartz slid back into his marked unit and hit the road — on full duty. As he had promised, Swartz was back!
Note: At the time, New York State Troopers did not have light-duty assignments. Swartz’s story was one of several that inspired leadership to introduce a “light duty” clause, allowing injured troopers to take on limited assignments during recovery.
When asked if he had any post-return stories that demonstrated his efficacy as a trooper, Swartz emphasized that the proof lay in the countless domestic disputes, fights, drug arrests, warrants, DWI arrests and accident investigations he handled during his years of service with the prosthetic leg before his retirement. However, he did share a few standout moments.
Swartz recounted the time he located a vehicle wanted in connection with a homicide. He set up surveillance and called for backup. When investigators arrived, they made the arrest and discovered the victim’s body in the trunk of the vehicle.
On another occasion, Swartz spotted a house fire before a call for help had even been placed. Switching from trooper to firefighter, he reported the fire and entered the rapidly burning home. Inside, he rescued a baby, wrapping it in his arms before handing them off to another arriving officer. Swartz then re-entered the home to save the baby’s father, who was under the influence and unable to escape on his own.
Swartz hesitated to share these stories, explaining, “My life has never been about telling old stories, but making new ones.”
The road to retirement
As Swartz’s career progressed post-crash, it became clear that his injuries had not diminished his ability to serve and protect. He continued to lift, run and compete in martial arts, shedding the label of “disabled” as if it were an attacker trying to take him down.
Because of his exceptional example, Swartz became a sought-after inspirational speaker. These engagements revealed his natural ability to teach, prompting the New York State Police to enlist him as a trainer for other officers.
Since training was a special assignment, Swartz continued his regular duties while serving as an instructor. Over the years, he became a firearms instructor and a rifle instructor. Toward the end of his career, he was reassigned to Albany, allowing him to train more officers while still performing his road duties.
For Swartz, retiring in July 2016 was a significant milestone and a major achievement.
However, retiring from law enforcement in New York State was not an end but the beginning of another chapter in his already illustrious career.
Shortly after retiring, Swartz became an instructor for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Glynco, Georgia. Drawing on his experience as a firearms instructor for the State Police, he quickly transitioned to training federal police officers in firearms use. After more than four years in this role, Swartz expanded his instruction to include basic to advanced driving, which encompassed pursuit techniques and the PIT maneuver, as well as basic tactics and active shooter response for recruits. In his final years of federal service, Swartz focused on teaching use-of-force and de-escalation techniques to state and local police across the country.
Swartz was often recognized and honored by students and departments alike — sometimes with a simple but meaningful challenge coin or handshake, and other times with a letter or plaque. Among his most treasured possessions is a Spartan Shield, presented to him by one of his classes in recognition of the “inspirational spirit” he demonstrated to them.
Lightning strikes twice
Once again, life was good. There was a rhythm to it. However, after overcoming one challenge and “crushing it,” Swartz was destined to face another.
On July 24, 2017, while on his way to work, a 22-year-old meth addict under the influence crossed the centerline and hit Swartz head-on. His injuries included a traumatic brain injury, a broken left hip and femur, and a broken left arm — all on the same side as the injuries he had sustained in the previous crash 15 years earlier. Talk about déjà vu.
The rehabilitation process would be long, but this time Swartz knew what needed to be done.
Once again, he worked tirelessly to rehabilitate himself. Eventually, Swartz returned to work at FLETC, just in time to hit the road with the center’s use-of-force/de-escalation training, presenting it to agencies across the country.
In 2022, Swartz moved to Clay County, Florida, the home base of his soon-to-be wife. Coming full circle, in September 2023, he left federal service to take a full-time position with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. Swartz returned to road patrol — a role he loves — after completing another police academy and field training program, all while continuing to serve with a prosthetic leg. He also works as an instructor for the department.
The highlight of this new chapter in Swartz’s life came on November 7, 2024, when he married Lynn, the love of his life. Lynn has proven to be not only his best friend but also the perfect complement to Swartz’s heart — like a prosthesis perfectly designed for his soul.
When asked what advice he would give to his fellow officers across the country, Swartz replied, “In law enforcement, you’re going to have good days and bad days. To deal with them, I would tell officers to put a high priority on family, fitness and friendships — that’s essential. However, the most valuable quality that carried me through, and one that would serve all officers well in this challenging career we’ve chosen, is resilience.”
NEXT: After learning about Deputy Matt Swartz’s inspiring journey of recovery and determination, discover another incredible story of resilience. Lt. Jason Ketter was shot in the face in the line of duty but refused to let that moment define him. His fight to stand tall and continue serving exemplifies the unbreakable spirit of law enforcement. Read Lt. Ketter’s story next to see courage in action.
