NU (brian please add the video to this story-thanks!)
Pinewood (Texas) Volunteer Firefighter and Paramedic Kimberly Huckabee is expected to be moved to a Houston hospital for more treatment and therapy after an 18 wheeler severed her left arm. (CAN YOUR FD HELP? SEE BELOW)
The incident happened last Thursday morning when she was redirecting traffic after a tanker explosion on Hwy 105 in Sour Lake. Pinewood Fire Chief Troy Blanchard says the accident has changed everything for Huckabee and the department. Firefighting is a family affair Huckabee. Her father started the Pinewood Volunteer Fire Department, and she has spent the last 12 years as a paramedic and firefighter with Chief Blanchard. "Ever since she turned 16 and could become a junior fireman out here, that’s what she’s wanted to do with her life is help people," says Chief Blanchard. With just a month to go before she is to graduate with a nursing degree, things have changed completely for the 30-yaer-old mother since being run over and losing her left arm. Huckabee was directing traffic the day of the accident when investigators say another 18 wheeler was trying to turn around to avoid the road block caused by the flaming tanker truck. That’s when they say the truck hit Huckabee when her back was turned, and she got caught in the truck’s axel. Glenn Withers was working to put out the tanker fire that morning and says the hardest part was knowing someone was hurt and not being able to help."One of ours is down. We couldn’t help her because we had a fire in the middle of the road. The highway, it was blocked," says Withers. Chief Blanchard says now the focus is on giving Huckabee needed support.
"I said you’re not going to quit on me, and that’s how everyone in this department feels. She’s a member of this family, and family don’t quit on each other, they stick together," Blanchard told Huckabee. The Department of Public Safety says the driver who hit Huckabee was cited for not taking the right safety precautions when backing up.
CAN YOU OR YOUR FD, FIRE COMPANY OR ASSOCIATION HELP?
Family and friends have established an assistance fund at Community Bank. Donations can be made under an account titled "For the Benefit of Kimberly Huckabee" at any Community Bank location.
Mailed contributions can be sent to "benefit of FF Kimberly Huckabee" at the Pine Wood VFD, 333 Commercial Drive, Sour Lake, Texas 77659.
