Woodcrest Firefighter On Road To Recovery After Crash

Family and friends said a local firefighter is on the long road to recovery after he was involved in a serious car crash. 

39-year-old Chris Easley was driving on State Highway 33 Friday morning near Penn when the crash happened. 

According to an OHP report, Gayle Lanoy was driving westbound on Highway 33 turning onto Penn when a semi hit her and pushed her car into oncoming traffic and in front of Easley's car. He was pinned for 30 minutes before Guthrie firefighters were able to free him. Easley was flown to a local hospital in critical condition. 

"This intersection has had a couple of fatalities just in the last 5 years," said Eric Harlow, Guthrie Fire Chief. "We had a bad one just a mile east of us just about 8 or nine years ago that involved three fatalities." 

Lanoy was thrown from her vehicle and later died at the hospital. The driver of the truck had a minor injury to his foot and was cleared at the scene. The crash created a large scene, blocking off parts of the intersection for hours. 

"This stretch of 33, for whatever reason, even though it's a wide-open roadway, we run a lot of serious crashes out here every year," said Harlow. 

Easley has been a firefighter for a little over two years with the Woodcrest Fire Department and was their 2021 Firefighter of the Year. His family has posted on social media saying they're grateful he survived, but that he suffered major injuries. 

Neighboring departments and those in the community have also shown their condolences for Easley. 

Those with the Woodcrest Fire Department say they're in the process of starting a fundraiser for Easley and will post it on their Facebook page when ready.