BARNUM, Iowa — A firefighter-EMT has been hospitalized after being crushed between an ambulance and a fire truck in Iowa.
Jeff Burke was responding to a call in Barnum from a patient having a stroke when the incident occurred more than a week ago, according to KCCI.
Burke was loading the patient into the ambulance when the fire truck parked behind it popped out of gear and start rolling toward them.
“It was a matter of, you know, you can’t think that fast,” Burke said. “There’s the truck and it pinned me.”
As the fire truck moved closer, Burke pushed the woman out of the way, only to get crushed between the two vehicles himself.
“I’m praying to God, ‘end my life now,’ it hurt so bad,” he told KCCI.
His patient, now safe, reached out to Burke to comfort him while they waited for other responders to arrive.
“I get emotional on this part, but I owe her my life,” Burke said. “Her hand came out and it grabbed my hand and she just kept rubbing it and rubbing it. At that point I thought, I have too many kids in my life, too many grandkids, and she brought me back.”
Burke broke both femurs, two bones in his left shin and his pelvis in two spots during the accident and is still in the hospital facing months of rehab.
The patient is also still recovering from her stroke.
Webster County emergency responders are planning a fundraiser to help Burke with his medical bills.