March 27--Two Pratt firefighters who were seriously injured in a crash while responding to a triple-fatality wreck Saturday evening remain in the intensive care unit at Charleston Area Medical Center.
Rod Johnson, deputy chief of the Pratt Volunteer Fire Department, said in a telephone interview Monday that Chief Timmy Walker was still in serious condition, but that his family noted there had been a "slight improvement."
Firefighter Billy Hypes also was still in the ICU but was in stable condition. Hypes' family told Johnson that the firefighter is improving, he said.
"We're constantly checking on those guys," Johnson said.
Firefighter Kyle Jenkins also was involved in the crash, but he was released from the hospital early Sunday with minor injuries.
Funeral arrangements for Assistant Chief Michael Edwards and Lt. Thomas Craigo, who were killed in the crash, had not yet been made Monday afternoon.
The fire truck ran off Paint Creek Road into a ditch and hit a rock wall on the way to the wreck scene on the West Virginia Turnpike on Saturday. The fire truck was totaled. The cause of the crash is under investigation, Johnson previously told the Gazette-Mail.
The firefighters were on their way to a wrong-way crash that killed three people on Interstate 77 near Sharon when they crashed.
The West Virginia State Police on Sunday released the names of three people who died in the Turnpike wreck.
Troopers said Beatrice Patrick, 77, of Salyersville, Kentucky, was driving a silver Chevy Malibu northbound in the southbound lanes of I-77 at a high rate of speed when she collided head-on with a white Buick, driven by James Platte, 49, and Tonya Platte, 38, both of Westphalia, Michigan.
Police said around 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Turnpike control issued an alert to be on the lookout for a vehicle traveling north in the southbound lanes near the 74 mile marker of the Turnpike near Paint Creek Road. The crash was then reported at the 76.5 mile marker.
Fire departments in Eastern Kanawha County have taken over for the Pratt department while its members grieve.
Firefighters from Pratt and surrounding communities gathered at the fire hall Sunday for a news conference. A large piece of black fabric had been draped over the front of the building. A candlelight vigil also was held Sunday.
Reach Carlee Lammers at [email protected], 304-348-1230 or follow @CarleeLammers on Twitter.
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