Rookie DeKalb firefighter seriously injured in firetruck crash: ‘I just prayed’

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A DeKalb County firefighter who was less than six months into her career is recovering at Grady Memorial Hospital after a crash left her with life-altering injuries.

What we know:

For the first time since the accident, Firefighter Eboni Kennedy shared her story from her hospital room, where she has spent the past two weeks undergone four surgeries. Kennedy was responding to a call on Rockbridge Road when her firetruck crashed and hit a tree.

"Ended up hitting a tree and I lost my leg. We were trapped inside the vehicle," she said.

Kennedy, who started with the department in August after ten demanding months in the fire academy, said she never planned on becoming a firefighter. But in her thirties, she felt called to serve in a new way.

"I just prayed. I asked God for guidance and purpose. I wanted to be something bigger than myself," she said.

Now, with her left leg amputated, Kennedy said she is still working through the difficulty of losing the career she had just begun.

"I think that's the hardest thing to process," she said.

Her mother, Felicia Metclaf, a nurse at Grady, believes her daughter’s determination will carry her forward.

"She is a special kind," Metclaf said. "She’s a tough princess."

Kennedy said she is getting stronger each day as she prepares for the next phase of recovery.

"But I'm getting better every day," she said. "I know right now. I know what I've set out to do in life, I've always done it."

The backstory:

Kennedy was one of three DeKalb County firefighters who were rushed to the hospital on Dec. 5 after their fire truck crashed while responding to an emergency call.

Officials said the crash happened around 10 p.m. along Rockbridge Road in Stone Mountain, just down the street from Fire Station 25 where the crew had departed minutes earlier. The fire engine left the roadway, and medics transported all three firefighters with what authorities described as various injuries. No other vehicles were involved.

Fire officials said Kennedy was the only one not treated and released from the hospital by the next day.

Authorities have not said what caused the fire engine to leave the roadway. The crash remains under investigation.

What's next:

Kennedy is expected to be transferred to Shepherd Center to begin rehabilitation. The firefighters’ union has established a GoFundMe to support her recovery.