As we reported last night, during the chaos at yesterday's fire scene, a fire engine loaded with tons of water ran over a bystander's foot. That man is 50-year-old Michael Young and his left foot was crushed. He is at the KHMH recovering but his family fears he may loose the use of that foot. Young, who pays his bills by running errands, spoke to us today. He says that he was standing with the hundreds of other spectators when it happened.
Michael Young, Foot Was Crushed
"I was on the sidelines looking on like a spectator on the fire and then when they said get out of the way because the fire engine is coming. From where I was, I wasn't in the engine's way and the engine, instead of taking the full turn out in the middle of traffic, he went right on the edge where I was and then the front of his vehicle hit my bicycle handle, because I was on my bicycle. And then I fell on the ground and then two back wheel came up and ran over my leg.
What the doctor says right now is that I need another operation on it to put in back the bone. They've only sewed up back the flesh. I got a long cut from my ankle to my knee and they sewed that back together but the bone hasn't been pinned as yet. When they told me that this morning, he said I need four units of blood for the surgery."
Jackie Woods, News 5
"Are the doctors optimistic that they will be able to save your leg?
Michael Young,
"Yes. See I can move my toe and so on."
Jackie Woods,
"Who do you believe is responsible?"
Michael Young,
"I think the driver is responsible for that accident."
Keith Swift,
You don't take any personal responsibility for the fact that you were there on the scene of a fire?
Michael Young,
"I was a spectator looking on, what everybody else usually does when they go and watch fire and I was just coming off from an errand that I went to do. I stopped for five minutes and then here came this fire engine driving without due care and attention and hooked my bicycle handle and ran over my foot."
Jackie Woods,
"How long have the doctors told you that you will be in the hospital?
Michael Young,
"Maybe four months because it is a bone that broke."
Richard Craig, Witness
"Everyone is out there observing this fire. Half an hour, the machine didn't come. Everybody observed the machine coming from down the canal side. He was there standing like everyone else. He was up on the sidewalk, protected sidewalk behind the rail of the bridge. The right thing to do for the officer that drive this truck, the right thing to do was take the time, and make sure that you clear all these people that just come like hooligans and just rush."
Keith Swift,
But you were at the scene of a fire and it was an emergency.
Richard Craig,
"That's not the point."
Leonardo Miguel, Victim's Niece
"My uncle is not a sprang head. He is a hardworking person. I don't care whosoever out there who said it, I don't give a damn. I want my uncle, at the least the Fire Service or somewhere could come and assist my uncle because we don't know if he will have his foot or not. Right now he is going through surgery but we don't know how it will work out. They've just put it together and he is in there. They could at least assist us in someway to help the hospital bill or any compensation towards him because he will be in here for like four months."
The Fire Department says it is investigating.
