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Firefighters hit by SUV making progress in recovery, Safety Harbor officials say

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Published  December 10, 2024 6:24am EST
Pinellas County
FOX 13 News

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    SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. - A Safety Harbor fire captain is out of the hospital and a firefighter is back on the job days after an SUV hit the men, fire officials said.

    Capt. Joseph Hans, 50, and Firefighter Ryan Craig were working in the driveway of the fire station off McMullen Booth Rd. last Friday morning when a Cadillac XT5 hit them, then crashed into a wall.

    Hans went to the hospital with serious injuries and has since been released, while Craig was treated at the scene and has returned to duty.

    Capt. Joseph Hans is recovering at home after being hit by an SUV in the driveway of a fire station. Image courtesy Safety Harbor Fire Department.

    Capt. Joseph Hans is recovering at home after being hit by an SUV in the driveway of a fire station. Image courtesy Safety Harbor Fire Department.

    "Although Captain Hans still has a long road ahead of him, we are confident he will make a full recovery," the Safety Harbor Fire Department wrote in a social media post.

    According to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, a deputy noticed the disabled SUV prior to the crash and helped the 63-year-old driver move it off the road.

    The deputy asked the driver to turn into the Chi Chi Rodriguez Driving Range, investigators said, but she drove past it instead, then suddenly turned into the fire station's parking lot where the crash occurred.

    The driver also went to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

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