A Firefighter from Greene County says he hopes to be out of the hospital soon after suffering a serious injury on the job. Firefighters with the Cedarville Twp. Volunteer Fire Department responded to calls after storms hit Sunday, leaving damage behind. One of those calls was a tree that fell and got tangled in utility lines. Lieutenant Luke Sorensen (who serves as a volunteer Firefighter/Paramedic with Cedarville Township and several other departments, as well as a full-time Firefighter/Paramedic at Huber Heights Fire Division) almost lost his life.
“The tree that was leaning on the cable twisted, bounced off, and sling-shotted onto my back,” Sorensen explained. “Like, [a] heat-seeking missile type thing.” Sorensen said he was bent over and didn’t have time to react. Right away, he said he knew he had broken his back and he feared he was paralyzed. “I was like, ‘I can’t feel my feet. I can’t feel my hands,’” he said.
Thankfully, all his sensations have returned. He’s even started sitting up, standing, and walking again. It turns out that being bent over on Sunday prevented the tree from hitting his head. “Chief Miller said if I was standing, I probably wouldn’t be alive right now. So praise the Lord that’s not the case,” Sorensen said. Now, he’s leaning on his faith as he works to get back on his feet. Sorensen said he hopes to be able to go home Thursday or Friday. From there, he’ll work to eventually get back to work as a firefighter. Good news.