PORT HADLOCK — A deputy with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office who was seriously injured earlier this week while on duty has been released from a Seattle hospital and is now home recovering.
Capt. Mike Stringer was released from Harborview Medical Center on Tuesday, according to Chief Criminal Deputy Arthur Frank.
Stringer sustained a traumatic brain injury, a fractured rib along with lacerations and bruising on his face, Frank said.
He is now recovering from his injuries at home, though the length of his recovery is not known.
Stringer was injured Sunday night while assisting at a non-injury car wreck.
One of the vehicles involved in the wreck had driven off the road near Old Fort Townsend Road and Otto Street in Port Hadlock.
The car had driven over a 4-foot steel rod that was buried in the ground, anchoring a nearby power pole.
The vehicle’s weight had bent the rod, putting it under extreme tension. Stringer and other first responders were not aware of the steel rod, according to a sheriff’s office news release.
Stringer was assisting a tow truck as it removed the car from the side of the road. He pushed the front of the vehicle while the tow truck pulled it from the soft dirt on the shoulder of the road.
When the vehicle was pulled backward, the steel rod was released and struck Stringer in the face and chest.
East Jefferson Fire-Rescue medics stabilized Stringer and took him to Jefferson County International Airport. Stinger was transported to Seattle by an Airlift Northwest helicopter.
________
Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Cydney McFarland can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 55052, or at cmcfarland@peninsuladailynews.com.