Critically injured Fort Worth firefighter moved out of ICU, another released from hospital
One of the Fort Worth firefighters injured in the fire engine rollover crash early Tuesday morning has been released from the hospital, officials said. Another remains hospitalized but was moved out of the intensive care unit.
Firefighter Clint Robinson, 42, went home Thursday afternoon after undergoing surgery on Wednesday, according to Zac Shaffer, vice president of the Fort Worth Professional Firefighters Association.
Capt. Daniel Terrell, 46, was transferred out of ICU on Thursday, Shaffer said. Terrell was in the front passenger seat when the fire truck crashed and rolled and he sustained life-threatening injuries, according to the department. Terrell was breathing on his own and showing other signs of improvement Wednesday.
In a statement shared by the fire department on social media, Robinson said. “My family and I are aware of the countless comments and prayers. We don’t know how to say ‘thank you’ because there is no way we could thank each and every one of you. But we are so grateful.”
Robinson’s recovery and rehabilitation is expected to take several months, the department said.
Terrell has been moved to a “Step Down Unit where he continues to make remarkable progress,” the post said.
Engineer Matthew Schneider, 42, and Firefighter Devin Kuhn, 33, were released from the hospital Tuesday with minor injuries.
Shaffer told the Star-Telegram that the firefighters have come together to help their injured colleagues.
“Yes, it’s emotional,” he said. “Yes, we’re dealing with some tough things, but we immediately try to figure out a way to get to work to find a way to make it as easy as possible for the families and then be here for the members while they’re hurt.”
According to Shaffer, accidents of this magnitude are rare among firefighters and large-scale injuries are also fairly uncommon. Most of their injuries are things like sprains and strains from lifting heavy objects.
Even though fighting fires is a large part of what firefighters do, Shaffer said they get called for a lot of other things, including when people get locked out of their vehicles, hazardous materials and falls.
“Any predicament people get themselves into, the fire department is generally the one that responds to it,” Shaffer said.
The fire department is training and hiring several new recruits this year to bolster their staffing. The Fort Worth City Council approved funds for 70 new firefighters in 2024, the most the department has grown since Shaffer was hired in 2007, he said.
Shaffer said the firefighters work 24-hour shifts and then are off for 48 hours. The firefighters who were involved in the crash Tuesday were supposed to get off at 7 a.m. If they had made it to the house fire they were responding to when they crashed about 2:30 a.m., it probably would have been their last call of the day.
The fire department has received a lot of support in the days following the accident, Shaffer said. Local businesses have provided food, and the Fort Worth Police Officers Association and Arlington Professional Firefighters Association have also lent their support.
“It’s a big group of people that do the same thing for a living,” Shaffer said. “They really do treat each other like brothers and sisters.”
This story was originally published February 8, 2024 at 5:59 PM.
