The family of injured firefighter Lt. Rich Montoya spoke to the media Tuesday for the first time since he was hurt on the job, saying that they're hoping for a full recovery.
"All we know is, when he wakes up, he had two things in mind for his retirement. One was play golf and the other was to take care of his grandchildren. He knew he was gonna do that, and he's still gonna do that," said Montoya's stepson, Eric Carrasco.
Doctors said whether Montoya will recover is a waiting game. He remains in a medically-induced coma, on a ventilator with pneumonia. He has a strong pulse and all of his organs are working well, but it's brain damage doctors are concerned about. Doctors will perform a series of neurological exams to see how he responds, and only after those exams can they predict if he'll make a full recovery.
"The concern you have is that if someone has a cardiac arrest, which is what he experienced, then there's a period of time. Even if that patient is resuscitated, then there's a period of time where there is no blood flow to the brain and in that setting, there's always concern that there may be brain damage done," said Dr. Michael Hanley, a critical care specialist.
The paramedic who performed CPR saidd Montoya's pulse returned just as they pulled into the emergency room.
"You know, I told the other three firefighters who were in the back of the ambulance with me that I got pulses back and they got pretty emotional," said paramedic Damion English.
The strain on Denver firefighters can be heard in dramatic radio transmissions describing Montoya's rescue. Those tapes were released on Tuesday as well.
"We're taking our second line upstairs. I think we got a PASS device going off upstairs," one firefighter said.
"To command, we do have a firefighter down! We need to activate the RIT team," another firefighter said.
"To command, if you're with that firefighter pull him out now!" another firefighter said.
"Back down! Back down! We got the victim," firefighters said.
In the meantime, 16-year-old Rachel Gutierrez, who was also pulled out of the burning house, remains in critical condition at University Hospital. On the 911 call, Rachel's younger sister, Chantel, asked the 911 dispatcher how long it will take for rescuers to arrive, saying, "I think my sister's passed out!"
The girls' mother, Cindy Maestas, is heard in the background yelling, "Get up!"
"Where's the flashlight? Hurry! You have to go get her, what are you doing?! Aaaahhhh!" Chantel said on the call.
"I can't!" her mother said.
"You have to go get her!" Chantel pleads, sobbing on the phone.
Both of the victims' families said they truly appreciate all the prayers and the support that other firefighters and members of the public have shown over the past couple of days.
Previous Stories:
- May 15, 2006: Firefighter, Teen Still Critical After Weekend Blaze
- May 14, 2006: Denver Firefighter, Teen Injured In Blaze
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