Tennessee Firefighter Recovers After Hit And Run
Cumberland County firefighter Patrick Brady, 20, was upgraded from serious to stable condition at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, said Assistant Fire Chief John Hall.
Brady's pelvis was broken in six places and his femur was broken in two places. "He's doing well, considering," Hall said. "He was in real good spirits yesterday, just kind of taking it in stride."
Another firefighter, Phillip Shepherd, was also struck by the tractor trailer but escaped with bruises and a broken ankle, and was treated and released from the hospital.
The firefighters, both volunteers, were dispatched to help highway patrol officers check for injuries at numerous car accidents Sunday night on Interstate 40 during icy road conditions, Hall said.
After checking on one crash at about midnight, the firefighters were walking down the highway median to check on another crash about 200 yards away. At the same time, a tractor trailer lost control and jack knifed, and the trailer slid into the median and struck both firefighters.
"They utilized all the precautions they could," Hall said, "but this tractor trailer went all the way down into the median." He said both firefighters were wearing protective gear and sustained damage to their helmets.
Shepherd, the less injured of the two firefighters, called the department for assistance on a portable radio, and their fellow firefighters responded. The driver of the tractor trailer corrected his vehicle and kept driving after the crash. Hall said the driver may not have known that he hit anyone, but the highway patrol is working to trace the vehicle.
Hall said Brady is expected to continue firefighting after a long recovery process of about six months. "He's still in a lot of pain but that didn't dampen his spirits too bad. He's young, hopefully that'll help."
The Cumberland County Fire Department is a combination department with 10 paid firefighters and 152 volunteers. They protect a population of over 45,000 in an area of 690 square miles, in one of the largest counties in Tennessee. They operate out of 10 stations and run about 1,200 calls per year.
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