Excerpts from the roster.com:
Cody Drummer couldn’t remember most of the people who saved his life after he was pinned under a garbage truck last November, but he still wanted to meet and thank them … and recently he got that opportunity.
He was in the car with his family, and thought they were going to lunch. Instead, they pulled into the parking lot of Cherry Valley Fire Protection District Station 2 in Rockford. Drummer was helped from the back seat into a wheelchair while about a dozen local firefighters and paramedics waited.
He shook their hands and thanked them for playing a vital role in saving his life.
Drummer, of Rockford, was joined by his mother, and his wife of nine months, Cassidy. The couple are expecting a baby girl in June.
“In the first days after Cody’s accident, there were a lot of times that I sat next to Cody’s bed, praying that the Lord would give us an opportunity for this to happen,” she said, fighting back tears. “It just means the world to us. These people will always have a place in our hearts.”
“That means my baby (will) have a dad, so I’m just really thankful,” his wife Cassidy said.
On Nov. 9, Drummer was driving a garbage truck along Baxter Road when a pickup crossed into his lane and collided with his truck, pushing it on its side.
A second passenger in the garbage truck was OK, but Drummer was pinned underneath. A Maggio’s tow truck lifted some of the weight off him as Cherry Valley firefighters spent about an hour cutting him from the wreck. He was then airlifted to the hospital. The Cherry Valley, New Milford, and Stillman Valley fire departments responded.
“I just wanted to thank them,” Drummer said. “They didn’t have to sign up for this job. They do this because they love saving people. They’re heroes, basically, and I just wanted to thank them.”
With his left leg in a splint and neck in a brace, Drummer was wheeled around the fire station parking lot so that he could express his gratitude. Before he arrived, a LifeFlight helicopter similar to the OSF LifeLine that airlifted him from the accident scene landed in the parking lot so he could see the aircraft up close.
Among those he met was Steve Reuss, a firefighter and paramedic with Cherry Valley who was the first to speak with Drummer. Reuss then transported the critically injured driver of the other vehicle to the hospital. A medical condition apparently caused him to lose control of his truck; he is recovering from his injuries.
Reuss said this is just the second time in 20 years he’s been able to follow up with someone whose life he saved.
“This is nice,” he said. “Doing this long enough, you don’t get to see people, you don’t get to know how they ended up. Nowadays, with all the [privacy], you can’t really follow up on anything. You never really know how they’re doing, unless you read it in the newspaper or their obituary.”
Lt. Lane Person of the Stillman Valley Fire Department was at the scene of the accident; he also works for a private ambulance company in Loves Park that has taken Drummer to his appointments in Rockford and Madison, Wisconsin.
“I feel great,” he said. “I’m extremely thankful for all this, and it makes me even more excited that I’m still here to be able to be with my wife and family.”
