T HE PAPER August 15, 2012
Proudly Serving Wabash County Since 1977
Local man continues recovery following 2009 accident
by Brent Swan On Aug. 24, 2009, rural Wabash resident Albert McMillan was traveling south on old SR 15 on his way home from nursing classes at Ivy Tech Community College in Wabash. A vehicle crossed the centerline and hit him head on, causing an accident violent enough that McMillan was trapped inside his vehicle for approximately 45 minutes. After being airlifted to Parkview Hospital, Fort Wayne, McMillan was in the Intensive Care Unit for several weeks. McMillan underwent more than a dozen surgeries over the span of four months to slowly piece him back together. After receiving 91 units of blood, and enduring 15 different surgeries, McMillan lost his leg. “I was unconscious for quite a while,” McMillan said. “After I woke up, I began to realize how bad off I really was. They literally began to piece me back together.” M c M i l l a n ’ s abdomen has been almost completely reconstructed using
muscles from other areas, resulting in the loss of core strength. “I try to make light of it all now by calling myself the million dollar miracle,” McMillan said. “Between all the surgeries, the hospital stays, and the rehab, I was around $1.5 million dollars the last time I checked.” Those bills resulted in McMillan making the decision to move away from his farm he had called home for years. “It was too much to handle,” McMillan said. “One of the most difficult things you have to deal with after an accident like this was the rehab itself. Having good people around you to help you out really makes everything easier to a degree. The nurses and doctors at Parkview were great.” It was shortly after he awoke from his coma that McMillan learned as to what caused his accident. “I was told at the hospital that the accident stemmed from a younger female who had been texting while driving,” McMillan said. “It’s crazy to think that
simply not paying attention caused something like this to happen.” McMillan does admit however, that some good has possibly come from his accident. “In 2010, Parkview Hospital had a huge trauma symposium and it centered largely on my accident,” McMillan said. “They worked the scene like they did with me, from the extrication to the mock flight to the patient injuries.” After spending months in rehab, McMillan was eventually fitted with a prosthetic leg. “The first leg I got was unable to function like a leg would,” McMillan explained. “If I wanted to take a step forward, I had to swing it forward to get the actual step. My current leg has the computer chip and mechanics that help me get along much better.” In fact, McMillan just recently received a unique prosthesis, a swimming flipper, constructed by SRT Prosthetics in Fort Wayne. “I had seen some(continued on page 5)
ALBERT MCMILLAN suffered life-threatening injuries after a car crossed the centerline and struck him head on in August 2009. The driver of the other vehicle had been texting at the time of the collision, which pinned McMillan in his vehicle for nearly 45 minutes. (photo provided)
Lagro Fire Department upgrades grass truck
LAGRO FIRE CHIEF SCOTT SIDERS shows off the department’s 2011 Dodge Ram Quick Attack truck, which boasts a 250-gallon tank with the capability of utilizing foam. The truck was put into service in May. (photo by Brent Swan)
SRT PROSTHETICS recently donated a swim prosthetic, which features a rod that can attach a flipper allowing Albert McMillan the ability to swim again. (photo by Brent Swan)
by Brent Swan The Lagro Volunteer Fire Department welcomed a much-needed upgrade to its fleet in May by adding a 2011 Dodge Ram 2500 HD Crew Cab Quick Attack Truck. The newest addition replaces the previous grass rig, a converted 1967 Dodge Power Wagon. “The Dodge was originally used by Lincolnville as their primary pumper,” Lagro Fire Department Chief Scott Siders said. “We got it about ten years ago and converted it to a grass rig. Most, if not all, of the work done to convert it to what we needed was done by members of the Lagro Volunteer Fire Department.” After discussing it with the township’s advisory board, Lagro Township Trustee Andy DeLong received approval to make an upgrade. “We decided that if we were going to make an upgrade that we wanted something that could serve a variety of functions,” DeLong said. “This truck as it is set up now can draft like a tanker, push foam at a car fire, can fight grass fires, and will now be the first truck to run on a medical run.” The new truck has been equipped with a skid unit, built by Tower Fire Apparatus with the truck’s actual dimensions in mind. “This truck is much more functional,” Siders said. “Everything from the skid unit to the lighting system which is much more stream lined.” “Ultimately, this truck allows our firefighters to get to the scene more quickly and safely than the previous truck,” DeLong continued. “The other truck served us well while we had it, but this was a needed change.”
Index Classifieds.................... 28-31 D&E ....................................20
Weekly Reports ..............23-24
In Memoriam
Vol. 35, No. 22
Diana Bittinger, 59
James Harvey, 67
Douglas Rice, 49
Shirley Fairchild, 81
Donald Lengel, 81
Mabel Stensel, 98
PO Box 603, Wabash, IN 46992 (260) 563-8326