Texas Firefighter Responds To Horrific Car Crash — What He Found Was His Worst Nightmare

A Texas firefighter responding to a horrific car crash didn’t know that his worst nightmare was about to become a reality.

Texas firefighter Aaron Van Riper was doing his job like any other day, when he got a call that he will never forget. When he reached the scene Saturday, the Texas firefighter was devastated to see the car wreck, only to realize his wife and seven-year-old son were gravely injured.

According to the Department of Public Safety, the Texas firefighter’s wife and son were traveling in the family car when they were hit, head on, by a pickup truck. Authorities do not know what caused the truck to go into the other lane.

Aaron Van Riper — who is an Assistant Chief for the Thomas Lake Fire Department — was stunned to find the victims of the crash were his very own loved ones, and can’t explain how either of them walked out alive.

“It’s my family. My wife was laying there on the ground. (By) the look of the car, I don’t know how either one of them lived. There was nothing left of that car.”

The New York Daily News reports Amber was ejected from the car and lying on the pavement when the Texas firefighter arrived at the scene. Then he realized his son was still trapped inside the vehicle.

“Once I saw my son… I started going into a little bit of a panic mode,” Van Riper said.

Crews freed the boy, and the Texas firefighter’s family was evacuated via helicopter and rushed to Memorial Hermann Hospital with multiple fractures, ABC 13 reported. Van Riper said his wife Amber was in surgery for nine hours Sunday, where doctors repaired her pelvis, which was broken in five places. Unfortunately, the family does not have insurance.

Amber works at home as a graphic designer for a small company and both she and their son, “Bear,” are expected to be restricted to wheelchairs as they recover from their injuries.

Family and friends created a GoFundMe page — which so far has raised $24,268 — on June 7 to help the Texas firefighter’s family with medical expenses and the loss of Amber’s income while she is unable to work.

“Amber and Bear are in Memorial Herman Houston. Both have multiple broken bones. This is an outstanding family! They are involved with supporting our local community of Riverside and Fire Stations.”

The page states that the Texas firefighter will be the sole bread-winner until his wife — who is still in ICU — recovers from the car crash.

[Image via GoFundMe]