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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Blogs Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Multimedia Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Road Cams Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Women in Business Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend December 28, 2006 Crash victim leaves Portland burn center Central Point truck driver badly burned in October is making progress, family members say By anita burke Mail Tribune Seeing her father walk down the hallway of a Portland hospital leaning on a walker Sunday was "the best Christmas present ever," says Betty Smith of Eagle Point. Her dad, Darrell M. Smith, 58, a Central Point truck driver, was critically burned in a fiery head-on collision on Highway 140 on Oct. 25. Doctors warned the family three times in the first week after the crash that he might not survive, Betty Smith said. But now, little more than two months after the crash, Darrell Smith is set to transfer today from Legacy Emanuel Hospital to Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital & Medical Center, also in Portland, where he'll spend at least three weeks in rehabilitation. Then, he'll return home to the Rogue Valley, still facing an intensive regimen of wound care and ongoing physical therapy. "It's been a long road," said Betty Smith, who with other family members has spent every available hour at his bedside. "I tell him he's my hero every day." She said even his doctors and nurses, who gathered for a round of applause as Smith made his way down the hall for the first time on Christmas Eve, call him "the miracle man." Advertisement Smith suffered burns over 50 percent of his body, including third-degree burns that seared into his muscle and inhalation burns in his mouth and lungs, when the diesel fuel tanker he was driving erupted in flames after colliding with a pickup truck that skidded out of control on the icy mountain highway. The pickup's driver, Everardo Suarez Govea, 37, of Central Point, also known as Lalo Suarez, was injured and has recovered. His passenger, Carlos Bravo, 19, of White City, was ejected from the truck and died at the scene. Smith recalls dangling by his seat belt after his truck toppled onto its passenger side and burst into flames, igniting the fuel tank under his seat, his daughter said. He told her that initially he couldn't unfasten his seat belt, but as the flames licked up the belt, he could pull it like taffy until it snapped and he tumbled across the cab. He clambered out a broken window and sat, in shock and on fire. A 58-year-old Medford man that the Smith family now calls "Carlos Angel" was driving behind Smith's big rig and stopped at the crash. He heard yelling and ran to Smith, whose clothing and hair were on fire. He rolled the burning man on the ground and put snow on him to quell the flames, then helped Smith away from the blazing truck. "It's because of him that my dad is here," Betty Smith said. Darrell Smith was airlifted, first to Providence Medford Medical Center, then to Legacy Emanuel with his wife, Sandra Smith, at his side. The shock to his system caused multiple organ failure, necessitating a ventilator to breathe for him, dialysis to replace his kidney function, insulin injections and a feeding tube. He remained unconscious until Dec. 7. He underwent seven surgeries and multiple skin grafts. "We've lived in a motor home at the burn center," Betty Smith said. Sandra Smith, who has battled cancer for years, has returned home only twice since the accident. Betty Smith and her sisters, Sandy Ash of Eagle Point, and Bobbie Smith of Central Point, as well as Darrell Smith's niece Jennifer Courtney, have traveled back and forth as often as jobs and family duties permit. "We've had so much support," Betty Smith said, citing family, friends and co-workers in the Rogue Valley and people they've met at the hospital, both caregivers and other patients' families. They've also relied on the Trail Christian Fellowship, where the family has attended church for years, and their faith. "Dad is a religious man," Smith said. "The Lord has been a leader for us all." She said her father is frustrated and sometimes depressed about his own injuries and recovery that just can't go fast enough for him. "He's been through hell," she said. "His life is completely changed." Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] . Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. 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