Laramie Firefighter Crushed And Paralyzed In House Fire Walks Out Of Hospital

After 16 weeks of grueling recovery, Laramie firefighter Dylan Schilt walked out of a physical therapy center in Denver and returned home realizing that his most difficult steps might still lie ahead. 

A massive stone fireplace chase collapsed on Schilt and another firefighter when they responded to a report of heavy smoke in a rural Albany County house Feb. 28. 

Schilt, 32, suffered a broken back, shattered ankle and collapsed lung and was left temporarily paralyzed from the waist down. 

The other firefighter suffered a severe knee injury.

Surpassing Expectations

During the first few hours after the accident, it wasn’t certain whether he would live, his father Mike Schilt previously told Cowboy State Daily. 

At first, doctors also doubted he’d ever walk again. 

In an interview shortly after the incident, Schilt described feeling his legs go numb after the impact of the chimney chase collapse. 

During his inpatient physical therapy, he tenaciously worked on regaining basic movements. Then standing. And then, finally, taking a few steps. 

He walked out of the physical therapy center and was greeted by fellow firefighters last week. 

It was only a short stroll and about as far as he can walk in one shot these days, but a huge milestone on his road to recovery. 

His recovery has surpassed all early expectations. But it’s not certain how far it will go, or if he’ll be able to return to being a firefighter, a job that he absolutely loves. 

He described stepping out of the physical therapy center and walking to greet his colleagues as bittersweet. 

“There were mixed emotions,” he said. “I have mixed emotions about that, and my future there (with the fire department).” 

Gone Fishing

Schilt was born and raised in Laramie, and said finally being back home after being cooped up in the Denver physical rehabilitation center is somewhat surreal. 

“Being back in Laramie, it felt like I had never left,” he said. “At the same time, it felt like I had been away my entire life.”

He’ll continue outpatient physical therapy indefinitely. For now, he’s focusing on the little victories. 

He’s always had a passion for the outdoors and recently got back outside. He and his brothers took their father fishing on Father’s Day. 

“Sitting in the boat fishing, I never thought that would happen again, at least not just a few months after the accident,” he said.

Another fishing trip is planned for Schilt’s birthday this weekend. 

And he’s determined to go hunting this fall. 

“I didn’t draw any of my tags this year, so we’re just going to have to go with general deer and elk tags,” he said. 

That means he’ll have to keep improving on his walking.

“I can walk, but it’s not good yet. All of this stuff is still up in the air,” he said. 

He frequently must use braces and sometimes crutches. 

Keeping his balance is the biggest challenge, he said. While he builds back strength in his muscles, damaged nerves are also slowly recovering. 

‘I Want To Teach My Kids How To Hunt And Fish And Hike’

Regardless of whether he returns to firefighting or takes another career path, the last thing Schilt plans to do is say still. 

The fuel that drives him is his love for the Wyoming outdoors. 

“My goal is to get back to the things I enjoy. How I used to enjoy them, or at least to get the most possible enjoyment out of them,” he said. 

As his family passed those values to him, he looks forward to eventually having children and teaching those Wyoming traditions to them.

“Someday, I want to teach my kids how to hunt and fish and hike,” he said.

Contact Mark Heinz at mark@cowboystatedaily.com

Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.