Derrick Allen likes to serve others. The Pittsburgh native served in the United States Air Force after college and joined the Pittsburgh Police in 2019.
"I value everything in my life to the service of the community and to my country as well," says Derrick, 32, of Baden, Pa. "That’s what pushed me into law enforcement."
But traumatic spinal injuries from a June 2024 motor vehicle accident put Derrick's future in jeopardy. Nitin Agarwal, MD, director, Minimally Invasive Spine and Robotic Surgery, UPMC, performed spinal decompression and reconstruction surgery to preserve Derrick's function.
Over a year post-surgery, Derrick is back working and doing what he loves.
"He's an absolutely amazing doctor," Derrick says of Dr. Agarwal. "I credit him with helping to save my life and helping me to get back to doing the things that I love doing."
A Traumatic Accident
Derrick doesn't remember the day of his accident or the immediate aftermath. The single-vehicle accident caused his truck to roll over several times, and he was ejected from the vehicle through the sunroof.
He suffered numerous life-threatening injuries in the crash, including a subdural hematoma (bleeding inside the head), injuries to internal organs, facial fractures, and more. From a spinal perspective, he had a fracture-dislocation across his C6/C7 vertebrae, in the lower portion of the neck.
"People can end up being paralyzed with that sort of injury," Dr. Agarwal says. "Arm movement, leg movement — everything is controlled from the spinal cord on down. So, he could have had complete paralysis. He's very lucky he doesn't."
Derrick was rushed to UPMC Presbyterian, a Level 1 Trauma Center, where he underwent multiple surgeries over the ensuing days.
Before Dr. Agarwal could address Derrick's spinal injury, Derrick needed surgery for some of his internal injuries. He was placed in a cervical collar — a neck brace — to stabilize his neck in the meantime.
Because of the severity of Derrick's injuries, he was placed on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). ECMO is a machine that adds oxygen and removes carbon dioxide from the blood from outside the body.
"We were operating on him while he was on ECMO, which makes the magnitudes of risks even higher, but he needed the ECMO for life-sustaining purposes," Dr. Agarwal says.
Dr. Agarwal says the surgery had three main goals.
"One was reduction of the fracture. When you have a fracture, you have displacement, so getting everything reduced as well as decompressing the spinal cord (was the first goal)," he says. "(Goal) two was fixation to stabilize the fracture with an internal brace as opposed to just the external orthosis.
"And three, and most importantly for me, was just to get him off the table alive. Given the fact that he was on ECMO and all these other things, it made the surgery pretty difficult."
Despite the challenges, Dr. Agarwal successfully decompressed the spinal cord and nerves. He used screws and rods to stabilize Derrick's neck fracture.
Derrick was surrounded by friends and family during his hospital stay. Many Pittsburgh Police officers and friends also visited.
"I was not with it at the time of my surgeries, but everybody said how many officers showed up and how many friends showed up in support of me," he says. "So, I was very thankful for that."
A Long Recovery Ahead
Derrick's first memory is waking up in the intensive care unit (ICU) about three weeks after his accident.
“I was just happy to be alive, thankful to be alive," Derrick says.
Derrick faced a long and challenging recovery after his surgeries.
"The primary concern was, could his heart and lungs sustain him off of ECMO and the ventilator," Dr. Agarwal says. "But then, secondarily, is just getting back to activities of daily living. Can you brush your teeth? Can you shower? Can you walk? Can you take care of yourself?"
Derrick says he was determined to face his recovery with a positive attitude.
"I’ve always been pretty positive," he said. "I’ve always been pretty motivated. And I had my family there (and) numerous friends. So I knew I had that support group to get back to where I wanted to be."
After spending nearly a month at UPMC Presbyterian, Derrick was transferred to the inpatient rehab unit at UPMC Mercy. Every day, he worked on physical, occupational, and speech therapy, trying to regain the ability to do everyday tasks.
“I personally felt fine during that recovery because I had gone through so much surgery," he says. "I knew I had crossed the line, and I was going to be able to recover. I was just continuously working and continuously motivated to get stronger. That way, I could get back to doing the things that I enjoyed doing in life.
“My main goal was to get back to doing the things that I loved doing, which is hunting, fishing, spending time with my family, (and) working out," Derrick adds. "Also, my goal was to get back to being a police officer.”
After spending two weeks at UPMC Mercy, Derrick was discharged home.
“Everybody that I dealt with at Presby and at Mercy was absolutely amazing," he says.
Making Progress
Derrick's wounds needed to heal before he could begin outpatient physical therapy. However, he received speech therapy and physical therapy at home while he waited.
Because he had a limited range of motion in his neck, among other injuries, Derrick was restricted from driving and working out.
The wound in Derrick's neck from his surgery healed slowly. He says he reached out to Dr. Agarwal's office often for guidance on wound healing and other subjects.
“I was speaking with him and his team throughout my entire recovery process," he says. "They continuously gave me feedback. I reached out to them through the MyUPMC app numerous times — daily, weekly.
"They were very thorough in their response and nothing but helpful and nothing but positive, just continuously trying to help me get back to do the things I wanted to do and continuously help me recover.”
In October 2024, Derrick began outpatient physical therapy at the UPMC Rehabilitation Institute at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township, Pa.
“Once all my wounds were finally healed and I was able to get back to physical therapy rehab, I started to get back to myself," Derrick says. "I started to realize that, ‘Yes, I can get back to the things that I enjoy doing. It’s just going to take time and continuous therapy, but I will eventually cross that road.’”
When Derrick began physical therapy, he could only move his neck 20% to the left and 30% to the right. After two to three months, he could move it over 60% in both directions.
"Seeing those numbers and seeing how much progress I made, just the percentage that I was able to turn my neck to the left and the right, that was enough for me to keep going and keep trying to recover," Derrick says.
Back Serving the Community
Derrick was cleared from physical therapy in early 2025. He was also cleared to drive again.
In February 2025, Derrick returned to work with the Pittsburgh Police. As his progress continued, he was cleared to return to full-time work in early August.
"Everything's been going great," he says.
"It feels great to get back to working for the city. They've been very helpful throughout this entire process and very caring through the entire process. ... So, it's great to be back working. I enjoy working with the people that I do."
Derrick is also fishing again and plans to return to hunting in the fall.
He recently had his one-year follow-up appointment, and his recovery continues to go well.
"It's sort of a living miracle," Dr. Agarwal says. "I believe it speaks to his own strength, but also the enormous support he had from his fellow police officers in the department.
"To be a neurosurgical patient requires the utmost mental and physical stamina," Dr. Agarwal says. "Derrick embodies all of that with the added benefits of the camaraderie that his department supported him with, a part of healing that we can't just provide with medications or surgery."
Derrick says he still feels grateful to be alive. He is thankful to Dr. Agarwal and the others who treated him for helping him recover.
"(He's a) very personable doctor," Derrick says of Dr. Agarwal. "Very respectful, very thoughtful. (He) always wants the best and is always looking out for you. Him and his team are always trying to get you better and trying to get you back to a level that you want to be at.
"I credit him and his team with saving my life. But on a personal aspect, you have to have a personal motivation and a personal drive to want to get back to normal after that serious of a surgery."
Derrick’s treatment and results may not be representative of all similar cases.
