Community comes out to help injured first responder

The Taney County community showed up to support a local first responder, who was injured in a car accident on Monday, Sept. 5. 

Casper Hopkins was heading home from work on Labor Day, when he was involved in a head-on collision, which was no fault of his own, causing major injuries and a prolonged road to recovery. Hopkins, who currently works as an EMT has also worked in the area as a volunteer for Forsyth Fire Department in the past. 

Local organizations teamed up to host a pancake breakfast, with a raffle, on Saturday, Sept. 24 at the Lake Taneycomo Elks Lodge 2597 in Forsyth from 8 a.m. to noon. The breakfast raised more than $3800 to benefit Hopkins. The raffle will continue at the Forsyth Area Chamber of Commerce Harvest Moon Festival to give area residents a chance to raise more money for the family. 

Hopkins said he was overwhelmed by the amount of support he was receiving from the community.

“I never thought I had so many people who cared. I am speechless,” Hopkins said. “Chief Bower put this together with so many others. It is just overwhelming. So surprising. I didn’t. I didn’t see this coming. And to be honest with you, I didn’t expect the chief to put it together the way he did. And I didn’t expect any of this to happen. So it was very, very, very emotional. Obviously it feels good. I’m actually a little surprised, to be honest with you. I didn’t think I had this many people in my corner. It is very nice to see people come out and support me and my family this way.”

Hopkins sustained a shattered pelvis, multiple head fractures, had his hand almost severed, and his femur was pushed upward into his torso. He has undergone reconstructive surgery and is currently facing weeks in a wheelchair and a need for rehabilitation to learn to walk again. 

“I mean, I’m not home yet. I’m staying at a friend’s house right now until my house gets a little construction on it. It is hard because I don’t get to stay with my family,” Hopkins said. “The doctors say I will make a full recovery but they don’t know how it will be in the long run. They say for recovery, they say I’ll be able to walk again but with the reconstructive surgery that they did, the doctor said my hip could dislocate anytime. I may need a new hip in the near future. Something like that. So they say full recovery but it just depends.”

For more information on how to donate contact Forsyth Fire Chief Nathan Bowers at the Forsyth Fire Department.