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McAllen honors six firefighters with Hometown Heroes awards after 18-wheeler crash
Summary
The McAllen City Commission recognized six firefighters and a hospital house supervisor for rapid response to a June 11 crash in which an 18-wheeler rear-ended a vehicle. City and hospital officials described the extraction, injuries and recovery at a July 28 presentation.
The McAllen City Commission on July 28 honored six McAllen Fire Department members and a South Texas Health System house supervisor with Hometown Heroes awards for their response to a June 11 motor-vehicle crash that left a vehicle overturned and its driver injured.
The recognition came at a presentation by South Texas Health System McAllen. Tony De Luna, interim trauma director at STHS McCallum, described arriving at the scene after an 18-wheeler rear-ended a vehicle about 3:12 p.m. on June 11. “The extraction process took about 15 to 18 minutes,” De Luna said, and the patient — a 90-year-old woman — was transported to the hospital and admitted to the intensive care unit. De Luna said the woman was discharged within eight days following care.
The city’s proclamation, read by Mayor Yerby Aloz, named Lieutenant Eric Moreno, Eric Espinosa, Adrian Limon, Lieutenant Sam Herrera, Angel Salinas and Robert Mendez alongside South Texas Health System house supervisor Amanda Wilson for their roles. Chief Juan Gloria, City of McAllen fire chief, said the six firefighters’ work “is a representation of the fulfillment of their duty, application of their training,” and noted the city’s 181 firefighters respond to a large number of crashes annually.
Why it matters: The presentation highlighted coordination between hospital staff and the McAllen Fire Department in a complex extraction and underscored the city’s reliance on cross-agency emergency response. Hospital and fire officials said the combined work helped the patient recover from multiple injuries.
Details: At the meeting Tom Castaneda, STHS system director of marketing and public relations, and Emma Montes Ewing, CEO of STHS McAllen, introduced the awards; De Luna provided the clinical account. De Luna listed the patient’s injuries as including a displaced left clavicle, right rib fractures and a displaced left ulna. The fire chief told the commission that firefighters and allied responders, including 9-1-1 dispatchers and paramedics, form the “full circle” of emergency care.
Official action: The commission accepted the presentation and Mayor Aloz issued a proclamation designating July 28, 2025, as the date for the McAllen Firefighters Hometown Heroes recognition. There was no formal vote recorded to authorize emergency action; the item was a recognition rather than a policy decision.
The commission and hospital representatives invited the award recipients to brief remarks and to a reception with plaques and cake following the meeting.
Sources: Remarks and proclamation read at the McAllen City Commission meeting by Tom Castaneda; Emma Montes Ewing, CEO, STHS McAllen; Tony De Luna, interim trauma director, STHS McCallum; Chief Juan Gloria, City of McAllen Fire Department; and Mayor Yerby Aloz.
