ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – A volunteer firefighter is recovering after a crash on the Parks Highway left him and his two dogs injured.<\/p>\n
Michael McMartin, a volunteer firefighter with the Houston Fire Department, was in a crash Tuesday after swerving into a ditch.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have two dogs, and I believe I turned to look in the back at one of them,\u201d McMartin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd, you know, whenever you look a certain way, it kind of pulls on the steering wheel, and I think that\u2019s what dragged me into the ditch.\u201d<\/p>\n
McMartin said he was quickly aided by bystanders, including an off-duty firefighter and a veteran. In a matter of minutes, the Houston Fire Department was on the scene. <\/p>\n
\u201cMyself and my captain responded from station 92 and we got around traffic as we were making our way to scene,\u201d said Lisa Johansen, a volunteer firefighter with the Houston Fire Department.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we got around some of the vehicles, we were able to see the vehicle involved and we realized that it was Michael\u2019s vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johansen told Alaska\u2019s News Source that she has known McMartin for around five years, both from the fire department and living as neighbors.<\/p>\n
\u201cEarlier this winter, my son slid off the road into a ditch very early in the morning, and I put out a call for help,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMichael was the first one there pulling him out. If you need anything, Michael is your guy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johansen said she was shocked at first to see McMartin but quickly went into action.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes your heart drop. You see the vehicle and it hits you and you realize who you\u2019re coming up on,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut at that point, you know that you\u2019re just going into work mode. It\u2019s a patient and you need to do what you have to do to take care of them. And then after the call, it kind of hits you like, whoa, you know, that\u2019s my brother that just got taken away by ambulance.\u201d<\/p>\n
McMartin was taken to the hospital, where he underwent surgery for a fractured vertebra. One of his dogs was taken to Big Lake VCA, before being transferred to PET Emergency Treatment in Anchorage for surgery.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe puppy that I have was 100% fine, just a little scratch on her paw,\u201d McMartin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy five-year-old Malamute has had one surgery already and needs another one and it\u2019s not looking too good.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the days since the accident, McMartin said he has been able to walk for short distances. <\/p>\n