Wendall Waters
Wicked Local North, Danvers, Mass.
TOPSFIELD, Mass. — It was just a little over a year ago that Topsfield resident Scott Saumsiegle fell while doing some tree work and was paralyzed from the waist down. This spring, he walked up to the Topsfield Fire Station to thank the first responders for being part of how he got to where he is today.
Saumsiegle says he was in and out just after he fell, but he remembers his daughter holding his hand and the firefighters rolling him onto the board to get ready for transport.
“I remember the whole ride because I was clenching my teeth in pain,” he said.
Of course, he remembers every bump in the road.
He said of the first responders, “They were so good and they got me to the trauma unit at Lahey.”
Saumsiegle was in a wheelchair for almost two months and then used a walker for a long time. Being able to walk up to the station, with just the aid of a brace on his leg, was a milestone a year in the making.
“I went down to the station to see them and meet them,” he said. “They were so happy because they said ‘we never get to the see the positive result of things that we react to.’”
During the visit, Saumsiegle had his photo taken with the crew, some of whom had responded on the day of his accident.
“It’s not about me,” Saumsiegle said. “I just want to thank them.”
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(c)2021 Wicked Local North, Danvers, Mass.