Miami Firefighter Injured In Motorcycle Crash
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A veteran Miami firefighter is in critical but stable condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital after his motorcycle collided with a pickup truck.
Dozens of fellow firefighters have been flocking to the Ryder Trauma Center to see 52-year-old, injured firefighter Hector Seiglie and show support for his family.
"It's awesome. It's a family. It's a family," said David Seiglie. The firefighter's brother told CBS4's Peter D'Oench, "This moves me to see these firefighters coming in like this. They were here before us and they keep coming in truckloads."
"I appreciate it very much," he said. "It's great to see this camaraderie and brotherhood. This is the world to him: his firefighting. He started up when he was in his 30s and he loves it. He's looking forward eventually to his retirement in Tennessee where he had planned to be a volunteer firefighter."
"He's sedated," he said. "He is in lots of pain. We just took him up for a 2nd CT scan and we are waiting to see the results. The hospital has been very good, giving us a large room to gather in. He is there with his wife and three children."
"We just need lots of prayers," he said. "Lots of prayers for the family."
Miami Police say the accident happened Monday morning on South Dixie Highway at 22nd Avenue. Seiglie was on his way to work at 6 a.m. on his motorcycle.
Police say the motorcycle collided with a pickup truck at the intersection. No one has been cited so far. The accident may have been captured by a traffic camera.
"You can imagine how hard firefighters worked knowing it was one of their own," said Miami Fire Dept. Lt. Ignatius Carroll Jr. "He is one of our brother firefighters. So this is family. Anytime someone is hurt in our family, you get a tremendous response."
"He's stabilized from his injuries," said Carroll. "But he is critical. He has not been able to talk to us. But doctors hope he'll pull through."
Among those visiting Seiglie was Miami Fire Dept. Captain, Jaime Garcia, a friend for more than 25 years.
"It's family and I had to be here. Even when you are not even friends, you are family. And this case we were friends even before he joined the fire department," Garcia said.
Seiglie for most of his career has worked at busy station Number 5 at Northwest 12th Avenue and 20th Street.
Fire Captain David Nunez said Seiglie was a dive rescue specialist on a ladder truck.
"Hector is an aerial engineer on a dive ladder truck," said Nunez. "He's a dive rescue specialist. He's part of the dive team of Miami. So he responds to victims of house fires as well as victims who are underwater. And he's also a cook at station number five."
