March 28, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Injured firefighter back on duty > Determined Fairfield man recovering from accident nine months ago

FAIRFIELD — Capt. Gary Michaud still limps and leans on a blue cane for support, but as he walks through the fire station his face is pure determination.

Nine months after the accident, he has returned to the Fairfield Fire Department. He’s working just a couple of hours a day, leading fire-prevention classes and conducting safety inspections.

But for him, that’s enough for now. He’s back doing the job he loves.

“This has been a trying situation, but a lot positive has come out of it, too,” he said this week, alluding to the friends and his longtime wife, Cindy, who have supported him throughout his ordeal.

“You can either handle it in a positive way or a negative way. I’m the kind of guy who looks at the glass as half full,” he said. “I’m a fighter.”

Michaud, 48, remains months away from recovery. Arthritis has settled into his right foot, which was mangled when the town’s new fire engine slammed into a tree during a test run last Nov. 11.

He continues to visit doctors because of complications. This time, one of the skin grafts done last winter has failed, leaving an opening in the side of his foot. If all else fails, doctors may have to fuse the bones in his foot.

“I’m still in a lot of pain, all the time,” said Michaud, a firefighter for two decades.

The accident happened just before dusk on Veterans Day, when Fire Chief Dale Sweet lost control of the new $250,000 pumper truck during a test drive. The 20-ton vehicle slammed into a tree on rural Upper Ridge Road.

Investigators concluded that speed and a slight attention lapse by Sweet caused the accident.

Michaud, the front-seat passenger, was injured seriously when his right foot became caught in the twisted metal. He spent two weeks in the hospital, underwent at least a half-dozen operations and then spent months recovering at home.

His limp remains the most visible sign of the seriousness of his injury, but there are other lingering effects.

The medications he must take for the injury have harmed his short-term memory. He forgets things.

“I’ll get a phone call, hang up and then forget who I was talking to,” he said.

“I misplace things a lot, and I’ll miss appointments,” he said. “I’ll remember a half-hour later that I was supposed to be somewhere.”

During his recovery, Michaud realized he missed his colleagues at the Fire Department, many of whom had become like family.

Eager to return, he was relieved when he was cleared recently to work a few hours each week in a limited capacity.

“I can’t do a job of physical work, but I can assist in leadership roles,” he said.

Michaud returned to the job Monday. The reception made him realize he was home.

“The guys were happy to have me back,” he said. “The coffee was flowing.”


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