Firefighter falls 25 feet in Southwest Philadelphia fire
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A fundraising effort is underway to help a Philadelphia firefighter who was seriously injured on the job. Randy Ballinger, with Ladder 13, fell 25 feet from a roof on Saturday while battling a house fire in Southwest Philadelphia.
Officials say Ballinger was injured when he lost his footing on a roof and fell 25 feet to the ground, which is about two floors.
Ballinger was responding to a house fire with reports of people trapped inside. It happened Saturday morning on South Paxton Street in Southwest Philadelphia.
He's known to many in the community and has been a firefighter assigned to Ladder 13 for about five years.
Ballinger previously worked as a firefighter in Woodbury, New Jersey, and is also a member of the Philadelphia Police and Fire Pipes and Drums.
According to a fundraiser meant to help with medical costs, Ballinger suffered a concussion, torn aorta, collapsed lung and broken ribs, along with other serious injuries.
Ballinger is currently being treated at a trauma center.
Ballinger is awake and has been talking to family and friends, even making jokes, but he still has a long road ahead of him.
The fundraiser to help him has already raised more than $40,000 as the community rallies around him, his fiancé and his two young children.