DUNBAR TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Rich Watson is just one of those people who loves his community and wants to give back. A lifelong firefighter who decided to drive a school van in retirement is now at Allegheny General Hospital after a devasting crash.
“His first words were check on my boys. That’s all he called them were his boys and he said you check on my boys you don’t worry about me,” said Crystal Porterfield, Watson’s daughter-in-law.
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It’s was the first thing on the 73-year-old’s mind after a Jeep crashed into his school van with three elementary students on board.
“He will drop everything on a dime to help you in any moment. That’s just Rich,” Porterfield said.
Watson was able to call for help on his own radio since the area did not have cell service and it was his team who responded.
“He said, ‘You don’t do nothing, You go check on my boys.’ He made sure they were OK, and he did everything he could before he would let anyone help him,” Porterfield said.
Those three boys are now recovering. Jason Roebuck’s mom told Channel 11 he’s at home with some seatbelt bruising and is ready to get back to school.
The other two are brothers. According to their mom, Dawn, Tristyn Siple is at home with a cut to his eye and soreness after being checked out at Uniontown Hospital. His older brother, Jayden, is still at Children’s Hospital with a large laceration to his face as well as head and abdominal trauma.
As for Watson, despite his broken back and leg, he continues to check on those boys.
“He’s in good spirits. A couple people had said he’s a hero and he goes, ‘I’m not a hero.’ But that’s just the firefighter mentality. They aren’t the hero, everyone else is,” said Billy Colbert, Watson’s son-in-law.
Watson’s family said he had surgery on Tuesday with another scheduled for Thursday. His community is already rallying behind him and planning to hold a fundraiser at each fish fry at the fire department from now until Good Friday.
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