Heartfelt appreciation: Young girl thanks Cherokee firefighters for rescue - Cherokee Tribune
Danielle Butler more than likely does not remember the crash that nearly claimed her life seven years ago, but in a heartfelt note to Cherokee County firefighters, the 9-year-old expressed her appreciation for those who pulled her from the wreckage. “Thank you for helping me or else I wouldn’t be here,” Danielle, a Hasty Elementary School student, writes in her letter. Plus, thank you for helping other people that had heart attacks and people having accidents on highways … thank you for taking care of fires. Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services firefighters were dispatched to the call at about 10:47 a. m. on March 5, 2008, after a Jeep Grand Cherokee crashed into trees on Highway 20 just east of Canton. Reports from that day indicate Danielle’s father, then 28, was entrapped and had to be extricated from the vehicle. Battalion Chief Kerry Hughes, who was the lieutenant on the scene, remembered the extrication being difficult, stating that firefighters had to cut the tree in order to get the girl’s father out. Danielle, who was only 21 months at the time, suffered critical injuries, officials said. “I remember that it was a very serious call and she had skull fractures. Due to the extent of her injuries, Danielle was transported to Children’s Hospital of Atlanta by helicopter. Source: www.cherokeetribune.com
