A Catawba County firefighter was seriously injured in a car crash after responding to an arson fire.
Derek Poole, 21, was on his way back to the Catawba Fire Department station around 12:30 a.m. Sunday when the accident happened. Officials say he was going south on Hewitt Road in his own car when he missed the stop sign at the road's intersection with N.C. 10; a vehicle going west on N.C. 10 slammed into Poole's car.
Poole was ejected from his vehicle and was badly hurt. Paramedics rushed him to Catawba Valley Medical Center and he was transferred to Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem that afternoon.
The firefighter is now in intensive care after undergoing two surgeries to his neck. Authorities say he is in stable but serious condition. He may be permanently paralyzed.
The driver of the other vehicle sustained minor injuries but he was not transported to the hospital.
Fellow firefighters are angry because Poole should have never been on the road at that hour but was forced to fight a fire because of an arsonist.
Both the brush fire and the crash are still under investigation. Anyone with information about who may have set the firs is asked to call the N.C. Forestry Service at (828) 465-8443 or the Catawba Fire Department at (828) 241-4955.
Poole is also a member of the West Iredell Volunteer Fire Department in Statesville.
