Fundraisers set up to help injured firefighter
By Taylor Brown
tbrown@yourmvi.com
Charleroi Fire Capt. Matt Prentice is eagerly await the day he can be back in the seat of a fire engine.
Prentice was severely injured July 3 after falling through the floor of a burning home in Monessen while he was searching the second floor for children reportedly stuck inside of the structure.
When a floor joist broke, it sent Prentice falling to the first floor of the home. He had to be pulled out by other firefighters.
After he was transported to a Pittsburgh-area trauma unit, doctors learned that Prentice had shattered the upper part of his left arm and would require surgery.
Doctors reconstructed the upper part of his left arm Thursday, inserting a metal plate from his shoulder to his elbow.
The surgery, which took about five hours, was a success, but Prentice is not expected to return from the hospital until sometime this weekend after his pain is more under control.
His wife, Megan, said it will be about six months before he is able to return to work after physical therapy to regain muscle in his arm.
As Prentice starts his journey to recovery, the entire Mon Valley community has rallied around his family.
“It has been a whirlwind,” Megan said. “I am happy to be visiting the hospital instead of a funeral home. It could have been so much worse and we are just so thankful he is OK.”
To read the rest of the story, please see a copy of Saturday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at http://monvalleyindependent.com.
