Sept. 13 update: Injured Elmont firefighter now in stable condition

Four firefighters from the Elmont Fire Department suffered injuries, one seriously hurt, while participating in training exercises at North Woodmere County Park around 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 30. The injuries were to their heads, chests and faces.

According to Nassau County Fourth Squad detectives, who continue to investigate the incident along with the county's Homicide Squad — which investigates all serious accidents — the firefighters fell off of a drill team truck during a drill. The four members — whose names have not yet been released by the district — were on the rear step of the truck holding onto a grip bar, and during the course of the drill, the truck veered to the left and struck a wooden guard rail.

The impact of the collision sent two male firefighters, a 23-year-old and a 25-year-old, over the guardrail. The 23-year-old victim sustained abrasions, contusions and a neck injury, and the 25-year-old suffered abrasions and contusions to his body.

These two men were taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical in Queens, were released on the evening of Sept. 1.

The two other male firefighters, a 26-year-old and 20-year-old, were thrown onto the roadway.

The 20-year-old man suffered a chest injury, as well as abrasions and contusions, and was airlifted to the North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset. He was released late on Sept. 2.

The 26-year-old suffered a serious head injury, as well as multiple abrasions and contusions to his body, and was in critical condition until Sept. 12. According to the Elmont Fire District, he is now in stable condition, at Jamaica Hospital, but is still in an induced coma. The district added that his condition has continued to improve since the accident, and the hospital has ruled out paralysis as a possible outcome of the injury.

"They are trying to ween him off of the subdation that he was under," said Mike Capoziello, chief of the department. "Hopefully we’ll be taking pictures of him coming back to the firehouse soon."

Capoziello added that the 26-year-old member has been slowly responding to his parents and other family members.

The male driver of the truck was uninjured. The vehicle was impounded for safety checks and the investigation is on going.

The district continues to declined to comment on the firefighters' names and specific injuries.

"We’ve got to take this one day at a time,” Capoziello said last on Sept. Aug. 31. “My thoughts right now are just with the members and their family. As chief of the department, it’s devastating to me to have this happen to my members, and my thoughts are with them.”

Capoziello recently said that the district continues to believe that withholding the firefighters' names is best for them and their families at this time.

“In the course of a fire department drill team training exercise, an accident occurred, injuring four of our members,” the department and fire district said in a statement issued on Aug. 31. “Our first concern is for the well being of our brother firefighters, and our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families as they deal with their injuries. This accident will undergo a routine investigation by the Nassau County Police Department, and as such, it would be inappropriate to comment further until this investigation has been undertaken and completed.”

Since the incident, questions have arisen in the community through social-networking websites regarding some drill events, which are considered high-risk.