LODD: FF Amy Schnearle-Pennywitt, 34, Michigan

[Guest]

Schnearle-Pennywitt, Amy L. 

Age: 34 

Cause of Death: Struck By 

Rank: Firefighter 

Nature of Death: Trauma 

Classification: Career 

Emergency Duty: Yes   

Incident Date: 01/07/2006 

Duty Type: On-Scene Non-Fire 

Incident Time: 07:15 

Activity Type: EMS/Patient Care 

Death Date: 01/13/2006 

Fixed Prop. Use: Street/Road 

Fire Dept. Info: City of Ann Arbor Fire Department

111 N. 5th Avenue

Ann Arbor , Michigan  48104

Chief: Sam Hopkins

  

Initial Summary:    Firefighter Amy Schnearle-Pennywitt had arrived at the scene of a series of weather related motor vehicle accidents on 01/08/06.

As she and another firefighter were making their way to assess patients, an out of control vehicle struck a median wall and parked vehicle prior to striking her from behind.

She was transported to the local medical center where she remained hospitalized until her death on 01/13/06.   

Memorial Fund Info: Memorial Contributions may be made to the Firefighter Amy Schnearle-Pennywitt Fund at any Michigan TCF Bank. Contributions will benefit the U of M Trauma Burn Camp and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. 

USFA

Edited January 30, 2006 by hoss49

[Guest SQUADco119]

another lodd prayers to family and friends. Goes to show that even if you use cuation accidents still happen! Makes me realize more each day why we should always close the entire road when operating on it!!!

[Guest]

Ann Arbor News editorial:

On a day of mourning, an occasion for gratitude

Firefighter's line of duty was to protect us

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Amy Schnearle-Pennywitt was trained to confront danger.

The Ann Arbor firefighter died Friday from injuries received when she responded to an accident earlier this month on I-94 and was hit by a pickup truck. She was the first female firefighter to die in the line of duty in the city, and only the second Ann Arbor firefighter killed on duty.

Thousands of her co-workers, friends and family mourned her Tuesday in a funeral service and procession that began in Crisler Arena then somberly moved through the rain-soaked streets of Ann Arbor, heading south to a grave site in Manchester, her hometown.

Firefighters and police like Schnearle-Pennywitt help form the backbone of our society, the net of safety that snatches us from harm's way.

They run toward danger when most of us would run away.

Their work, most visible when we're under distress, allows us to live without worrying who we'll turn to if our house catches fire or our child is kidnapped or if we're the victim of hundreds of other, less traumatic accidents and crimes we'll all face at some point in our lives.

We call them. And they come.

Yet on any given day, most of us don't think about their work and lives.

Don't think about the sometimes simple ways - from patrolling a beat to helping a motorist with a flat tire - they make our lives more secure.

Capt. Ed Dziubinski, a colleague of Amy Schnearle-Pennywitt, said she was "someone who was dependable and everyone could count on.''

That phrase describes so many in her profession.

So while we mourn the loss of Amy Schnearle-Pennywitt, let's also pause to thank the men and women who put their own lives in peril.

Because it's their job.

Because they care.