‘Many challenges ahead.’ Highway 395 crash leaves a Pasco dad hurt just before Christmas
Eric Wirt is normally an energetic go-getter who makes sure he’s available for his children.
“We call him Captain America,” said James Uhren, a construction foreman at Americool Heating and Air Conditioning. “He is a natural-born leader.”
But after a violent crash last Thursday on Highway 395, the Pasco man is hoping he’ll be able to walk again.
Now his co-workers are trying to help him and his family as he faces at least a year of recovery that will include a long hospital stay and multiple surgeries.
Wirt and two co-workers were heading north on Highway 395 when the box truck they were in collided with a semi just south of Ritzville shortly after 8:30 a.m, said the Washington State Patrol.
The design of the truck meant that there was just a piece of metal between Wirt and the full force of the crash. He was pinned inside of the truck, and firefighters needed to pry it open to rescue him.
Others in the crash were not hurt.
He was taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane with a broken pelvis, severe damage to his left knee and right ankle and several leg fractures.
His wife and daughters have been staying in a hotel near the hospital as he recovers. Uhren said his family really needs the support at the moment.
“Family is Eric’s No. 1 priority,” his co-workers at Americool wrote as part of a GoFundMe campaign.
“Taking care of his children and wife is a value he holds dear to his heart. We hope and ask that community members can join us in rallying behind this family as they will have many challenges ahead of them.”
They are hoping to raise $50,000 as part of the GoFundMe campaign. By Thursday, they have raised over $31,000 at bit.ly/WirtFundraiser.
This story was originally published December 22, 2021 at 12:27 PM.