Firefighter accused of taking crash victim's foot

[September 27, 2008]  FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) -- St. Lucie County officials are investigating whether a firefighter took a man's severed foot from the scene of a traffic accident. On Sept. 19, a crash on I-95 caused a man's foot to be sheared off; the man survived and is undergoing treatment at a local hospital.

It's the Fire District's policy to take a severed body part with the patient to the hospital if there is any chance of reattachment, or the body part goes to the medical examiner's office. But authorities said the foot was taken to the hospital days later, on Sept. 24.

Officials would not release the name of the firefighter under investigation, but said the firefighter trains cadaver dogs, which are used to locate and follow the scent of decomposing human flesh.

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Information from: The Stuart News, http://www.tcpalm.com

[Associated Press]

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