One of the Georgia firefighters suffered a broken back when a ladder failure occurred during training Tuesday.
Hall County Fire Chief David Kimbrell's posted this statement to the department's Facebook page:
“The doctor was pleased with the surgery. The back injury was very significant. (The firefighter) had a large hematoma on his back and had two vertebra that were broken. They put in two rods and screwed the rods into the vertebra in the injured area to stabilize it.”
Kimbrell added that the firefighter would be in a back brace for several weeks and would “probably go home if all goes well” in about seven days. The doctor estimated recovery at a minimum of 12 weeks, Kimbrell wrote.
All three firefighters -- Will Griffin, TJ Elliott and Stephen Jackson -- remain hospitalized.
The department has had the 2006 Sutphen since April, according to The Gainesville Times.
Sutphen immediately recalled certain aerials after the incident.
In June, three Pennsylvania firefighters were injured in a similar failure of a Sutphen tower.
