By Nassim Benchaabane
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
ST. LOUIS — The family of a St. Francois County deputy sheriff is the sixth this year to get assistance from BackStoppers.
Paul Clark, 55, died July 4 from injuries he suffered when his patrol car was struck by a vehicle fleeing a traffic stop in October 2015. He suffered a broken back that required multiple surgeries.
BackStoppers is helping Clark’s wife and two adult children. The non-profit provides financial support to the spouses and dependent children of first responders who suffer a catastrophic injury or die in the line of duty in parts of Missouri and Illinois.
The organization is now helping 81 families of first responders, including the families of fallen St. Louis County police Officer Blake Snyder and wounded Ballwin Officer Michael Flamion.
“We recognize the tremendous sacrifices public servants make every day when they go to work,” Ron Battelle, executive director of BackStoppers, said in a press release. “We understand the burdens placed on surviving spouses and children when tragedies occur and believe our community has an obligation to care for the loved ones of those who have died in the line of duty.”
Clark served in the St. Francois County Sheriff’s department for 13 years. Before that he served in the Park Hills Police Department for five years.
He will be honored at Backstoppers’ largest annual fundraiser, the Budweiser Guns ’N Hoses boxing event Nov. 23 at the Scottrade Center. The event pits firefighters against police officers in the boxing ring and garners between $200,000 and $300,000 for the group.