MOUNT PLEASANT, Pa. — Three months after being struck by a vehicle while clearing debris from Route 119, Pennsylvania State Trooper George Hare Jr. is making progress towards a full recovery.
Something as simple as walking is an ability that Hare said he’ll never take for granted again.
“I couldn’t move my legs. I could feel the pain. I could feel them, and I knew something was wrong at that point,” said Hare.
On Oct. 29, Hare was seriously injured on the job after being hit by a vehicle on Route 119 in East Huntingdon Township. He had been called out to remove debris scattered on the road when the vehicle struck him at 50 mph.
Hare told Channel 11 that he doesn’t remember the moment of impact, but he said he does remember lying on the side of the road and thinking of his wife and two girls.
“Somebody was watching over me that night,” he said.
Now three months after the accident, Channel 11 got a firsthand look at the progress he is making.
“The doctor told my wife after the surgery that he felt I would have absolutely no use of my left arm or hand again, but (he) he saw me wiggling my finger, lifting my arm and he said, ‘That’s a miracle,’” said Hare.
For six hours a day, Hare has physical and occupational therapy at UPMC Rehabilitation Institute at UPMC Mercy Hospital. His goal is to eventually get back to work for the state police force.
“I’m going to keep plugging away. I’m not going to quit until I’m able to walk without anything. That’s my goal,” said Hare. “I’ll take all the prayers I can get because it’s working. It’s working, definitely.”
Anyone wishing to donate to a fund set up for Hare may do so at any Standard Bank locations, including the branch at 659 W. Main St. in Mount Pleasant.
RELATED STORIES:
- Benefit dinner held for trooper struck by vehicle on Route 119
- Trooper struck by car, seriously hurt in Westmoreland County
WPXI
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
