Update: Milford Police 'Optimstic' on Injured Officer's recovery

Milford, MA - Things were looking grave this morning, but Milford's police chief says Officer Nate Hathaway now appears to be on the mend despite a serious head injury Monday.

Hathaway was struck in the head by the bucket of a Bobcat while directing traffic around an Eversource construction site on Water Street Monday morning. His head then hit the pavement when he fell, Chief Thomas O'Loughlin said.

The officer was first taken to Milford Regional Medical Center, then flown to UMass Medical Center in Worcester. Monday afternoon, O'Loughlin said the bleeding appears to have stopped and the swelling has stabilized.

"They sounded very optimistic and very positive as far as the outcome, but they're going to keep him in the hospital overnight," he told Patch.

O'Loughlin said a police accident and reconstruction team is on-site at Water Street, as well as investigators from the federal government's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

"He's a good guy and he's a good police officer, and we're all praying he's going to be a-okay," O'Loughlin said.

Fellow officers joined O'Loughlin in offering their support Monday:

Story updated 3:30 p.m.