Cooper?s recovery at home going well

He hasn?t made it back to Capitol Hill since his interstate accident, but state Sen. Jerry Cooper knows what?s going on in Nashville.

?I talk to Christina all the time,? said Cooper yesterday referring to legislative assistant Christina Barber. ?In fact, I can?t get rid of her.?

Cooper has been recovering at home for the past 10 days after suffering injuries Feb. 7 in a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 24 near Murfreesboro. According to witnesses, Cooper?s SUV flipped four or five times before coming to rest on the opposite side of the interstate. Miraculously, Cooper was not hit by oncoming traffic.

?The good Lord was with me,? said Cooper, who remained in the driver?s seat because he was wearing his seatbelt. ?I hate that the wreck happened, but life goes on.?

As is often the case with accident victims, Cooper says he has no memory of the crash itself.

?I remember something about a big truck and the next thing I know I?m waking up at Vanderbilt with my wife and a doctor standing next to me,? Cooper said.

Cooper was airlifted from the scene and transported to Vanderbilt where he was initially listed in critical condition. By the next morning, he had been upgraded to stable condition.

His spirits are high as he recovers from a brain concussion, broken ribs, and a fairly significant left arm injury.

?The main thing is the concussion,? said Cooper, 58. ?I still get headaches if I stay up too long. But I?m doing better. It?s just going to take time for my old body to mend.?

As for Capitol Hill news, Cooper says he?s keeping up to date on all the latest developments. He says one major issue is funding Gov. Phil Bredesen?s education improvements, which the governor has proposed to do by raising the tax on a pack of cigarettes by 40 cents.

Another major concern is the federal government?s decision to reduce state highway funding. Due to budget constraints brought on primarily by the war in Iraq, Cooper says Tennessee lost $80 million in state highway funds last year and stands to lose another $40 million this year.

?My big concern is what it might do to Woodbury Highway,? said Cooper. ?Losing the road money may delay the project.?

As for when he might return to the General Assembly, Cooper says his doctor is monitoring his progress every week. He says he believes he will likely return in another six to eight weeks.