Firefighter Breaks Foot In Freak Accident During Tarentum Fire
By: Meghan Schiller and Jennifer Borrasso/KDKA-TV
TARENTUM, Pa. (KDKA) -- Flames ripped through a duplex in Tarentum on Monday, leaving two families without a home and a charred shell behind.
In the rush to control the fire, a freak accident injured a young firefighter, 22-year-old Richard Schuller. He was climbing a ladder outside the burning duplex when the ladder started to move and pinned his feet. It took more than an hour for first responders to free his feet from the ladder.
"We heard screaming, 'Help, help, help, help,' for what seemed like 10 minutes to me," said Abigail Schuller, Richard's sister.
Abigail Schuller soon found out the yelling was coming from her brother, whose feet were pinned in the aerial ladder.
"He was going up the ladder and they were extending it, and his feet were supposed to be up and they weren't," she said. "I guess- they got crushed."
Richard Schuller's girlfriend came straight from work upon hearing the news.
"I'm coming here from work thinking 'What's happening?'" said his girlfriend Jade Nussbauner. "I didn't know if he was inside or outside, so I came up through the back and I was like, 'Oh my gosh,' and I looked at him and he was like, 'I love you,' and I said, 'Oh gosh, thank God you're talking.'"
WATCH: KDKA's Jennifer Borrasso reports
Schuller was treated and released from the hospital. He told KDKA's Jennifer Borrasso he'll be okay over time, but right now his right foot is broken. His left foot is badly bruised and he's in a walking boot using non-weight bearing crutches.
Highland Hose VFC's chief said it's looking at how the accident happened.
"While it (sic) easy to quickly assign blame to a single event or person, firefighting is a complex operation that requires perfect coordination to ensure a safe and successful response. We will make all possible changes to ensure that this never occurs again after investigating the events today. We are extremely thankful that FF Richard Schuller is doing well and wish him a speedy recovery," said the chief in a statement.
The Red Cross and Salvation Army will help the homeowners who lost nearly everything. Both families, including several children, made it out safely.
Crews demolished the home within hours after the fire.
