Helping a Firefighter in a tragic time

On Saturday, August 6, 2022 around 9:00pm, Kinloch Fire Protection District rescue pumper 4314 responded to a MVA (motor vehicle accident) on Interstate 70 & Lucas and Hunt. Kinloch was providing mutual aid to Northeast Fire and Ambulance. Upon arrival, while exiting from the pumper, Captain Michael Pickett Jr. suddenly collapsed in the middle of the highway. His crew immediately responded to his aid, where they found him incoherent and limp with total right side paralysis and right side facial droop. Northeast medic unit 4717 and rescue pumper 4714 arrived on scene seconds after he went down and began treating him. Soon after, he was transported to Barnes Jewish Hospital. After his arrival at the hospital, it was determined from a CT scan that he was suffering from a major hemorrhagic stroke with midline shift. He underwent a craniotomy to help evacuate blood out of his cranial cavity and relieve pressure off of his brain. The bleeding has significantly slowed, and Captain Pickett was on a ventilator in the Neurology lCU at Barnes. Currently he is at the rehab institute of Saint Louis. Captain Pickett still has no movement on the right side of his body and can not speak. His family is being cared for by the Kinloch Fire Protection District family and BackStoppers. All donations go to the Pickett family. Please keep Captain Pickett along with his wife, daughter, parents and friends in your thoughts and prayers during this time.