Driver launches Texas firefighter 30 feet during Christmas event for kids

Mitchell Willetts
The Charlotte Observer

PASADENA, Texas — Authorities are searching for a driver they say hit a Texas firefighter — launching him into the air on impact — and then sped away from the scene, the Pasadena Fire Department told media outlets.

The firefighter was helping out with a citywide Christmas event called “Santa Project,” KPRC reported, in which the fire department decorates their trucks with lights, and cruises around town passing out candy to children.

The firefighter was directing a fire truck through an intersection around 8:40 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 18, when a dark-colored vehicle struck him and he was thrown 30 feet before hitting the ground, Chief Fire Marshal David Brannon told KTRK.

The driver of the vehicle, which witnesses said was either a sedan or SUV, sped away, Brannon told the station.

“Please take a moment and say a prayer for one of our brothers at Station 4 who was involved in an incident this evening,” Pasadena fire officials said in a Facebook post overnight.

He was taken to a hospital in critical condition, KHOU reported.

Late the following morning, the firefighter was released from the hospital and is recovering at home, fire officials said in a Dec. 19 post.

“Please continue to keep them in your thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery,” the post read.

Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the Pasadena Police Department, or Pasadena Fire Marshal’s Office.

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