Stroud Volunteer Firefighter Seriously Injured In Crash

A Stroud volunteer firefighter was seriously hurt following a crash on the Turner Turnpike. 

The crash happened Monday, July 15 around 6:15 p.m., near mile marker 189, when 23-year-old Michael "Cole" Alcorn struck two stopped vehicles on the turnpike. 

The crash was one of several others reported on the Turner Turnpike around the same time. 

Alcorn was on the phone with a friend when the crash happened. 

"He's my rock," said Alcorn's girlfriend, Caitlyn Hodge. "A lot of people look up to him, a lot of people care about him."

Hodge is pregnant with Alcorn's second child. 

Alcorn suffered several fractured ribs and had to have a portion of his skull removed to treat a blood clot. 

"When I got there, it looked bad," said Hodge. "I'm a nurse and sometimes it is a great thing, sometimes it is a bad thing, because I know everything, I know too much."

At the Stroud Fire Department, news spread quickly.

"In my 30 years of being on the fire department, I've never had this happen before," said Stroud Fire Chief Mike Cooper. 

Members of the Stroud Fire Department responded to the crash but did not recognize Alcorn pinned inside the vehicle, until checking his insurance card afterward. 

"It has been pretty testing for a lot of us, we are a small fire department," said Cooper. "We have about 22 members on the department, I think we had roughly 10-12 guys respond to that call."

Feelings of emptiness are now filled with hope. Hope that Michael will see his second child enter the world. 

"All we can do is pray for you, it is the most powerful medicine we've got to offer," said Assistance Stroud Fire Chief Chris Wilson. "He has little ones as well as a lot of us, we just hope that he can pull through."

Alcorn is expecting a baby boy, he'll be named Asher Michael. 

An account has been set up at Stroud National Bank to help family pay for medical bills and other expenses. Stroud National Bank is located at 300 West Main Street in Stroud.

A GoFundMe page and a Facebook page have also been launched for the family. Click here if you would like to donate, and click here if you would like to donate to the Facebook page.  

Alcorn's brother is also a member of the Stroud Fire Department. 

A fundraiser has also been set for July 28, to help raise funds the the Alcorn family. Details pictured below: