Dan Wescoat Sr., a 32-year volunteer and chief of the Nesco Volunteer Fire Company in Mullica Township, works for the Atlantic County Road Department. He was out salting the roads during the snowy early morning hours of Feb. 23, when he got the phone call parents dread.
His elder son Dan Jr., 24, had a car accident on the way home from a friend's house, said his younger son,Brandon, 21.
The single parent went to the accident scene, only about a quarter mile from where he was working in Mullica Township.
"There was snow on the bend and the car went sideways. The back end hit a telephone pole," Dan Sr. said. "He wasn't wearing a seat belt. He was thrown onto the passenger side and broke his back."
Dan Jr., also a volunteer firefighter, is now paralyzed from the chest down and relies on a wheelchair. He spent months in the hospital and in a rehabilitation center, and came home about three months ago.
The family home needs an electric stair climber and renovations to the bathroom and kitchen, so Dan Jr. can access them in his chair. Dan Sr. can do the labor, but needs help purchasing materials, he said. The Elwood Volunteer Fire Company in Mullica Township is stepping up to help, dedicating funds from its charity golf tournament to the Wescoats.
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