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SALT LAKE CITY — Twenty-year firefighting veteran Andrew Maxwell was seriously injured in a deadly crash earlier this month that took his nephew's life.
"He used to come to this fire station when he was a kid," said John Maxwell of his son, Andrew Maxwell.
John Maxwell's legacy as a firefighter extends to his son.
"A lot of good times here. I'm really proud of him," John Maxwell said.
The father and son devoted their careers to Salt Lake City's Fire Station 8. John Maxwell is a 31-year veteran and Andrew Maxwell just completed 20 years of service.
But instead of celebrating Andrew Maxwell's service, his father gave an update Wednesday on the tragic accident that left the 42-year-old seriously injured.
The road to recovery
"He's probably going to have to learn how to walk again," John Maxwell said. His son's injuries include fractures to his legs, feet, back and sternum, he explained.
Andrew Maxwell has undergone four surgeries and is expected to have three or four more.
John Maxwell's family is also reeling from the loss of Andrew's 10-year-old nephew, Liam Love, who died in the crash with a wrong-way driver in Millard County on Oct. 17. Andrew Maxwell was returning from fall break with his two nieces and Liam.
"There's no words to describe it," John Maxwell said. "Anyone that has lost a child can kind of understand. It's been hard on all of us. We've known these kids their whole lives, and to know that we're going to have more family gatherings without Liam is just hard."
Andrew Maxwell's 8-year-old niece, Gracie, is also in serious but stable condition and remains hospitalized. As for a 15-year-old niece, John Maxwell said she suffered only minor injuries and was "extremely lucky."
"Everybody was wearing seat belts, and that's what saved everybody but Liam," John Maxwell said.
Grateful
While John Maxwell's family faces a long recovery, he's grateful for the real-life heroes who are stepping in during their time of need and for the unity his family is experiencing.
"It's been awesome," he said. "We're all going to get through it together; we're all relying on each other."
The wrong-way driver is a 55-year-old woman from Florida, Melissa McDonald. She also died in the crash.
There are a couple of GoFundMe accounts set up to help both the Love and Maxwell families.
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