On the night of Feb. 2, 32-year-old Jason Blatter was driving back to Chicago after helping drywall a friend's house. Near Route 30 and Interstate 55, his vehicle got plowed by a drunken driver, he said. He was trapped inside. His spleen was ruptured. He suffered significant brain trauma. Several firefighter/paramedics from Joliet Fire Department's Station 8 raced to the scene. Things did not look good. Friends and family feared he may not make it.
"You're amazing; kudos to you for being tough and hanging in there," veteran Joliet Fire Department paramedic Dave Eichholtzer told Blatter on Friday afternoon at an event inside Station 8 to celebrate Blatter's miraculous recovery from being on the verge of death.
Friday's event was organized by AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center.
Blatter wanted to personally thank the members of Station 8 who saved his life as well as the doctors and nurses at St. Joe's who helped nurse him back to recovery. At Friday's event, Blatter used the Joliet Fire Department's Jaws of Life to crush the plastic helmet that he had to wear during his recovery from brain surgery over these past several months.