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<p>HUGHESTOWN &#8212; Fire Captain Ryan Meranti has spent the last nine years protecting the community. Now, there&#8217;s a chance for the community to pay him back.</p><p>Meranti, 24, was injured in a motor vehicle accident Feb. 2 in Old Forge.</p><p>&#8220;He was driving along to his girlfriend&#8217;s in Old Forge and a car lost control and hit Ryan,&#8221; said Hughestown Hose Company Fire Chief Jamie Merlino. &#8220;The guy died and Ryan walked away with a broken leg.&#8221;</p><p>Meranti was taken to Geisinger-Community Medical Center in Scranton following the accident. He has a fractured femur in his right leg that required staples and a titanium rod from his hip to his toes.</p><p>&#8220;It was actually pretty horrible when I came to,&#8221; he said of his leg. &#8220;I was unconscious at the time and when I came to, my foot was in the other direction.&#8221;</p><p>Because of his injury, Meranti is unable to work and cannot start rehab until after the staples in his knee are removed and even then, he said, he will require at least six months of rehab before he can start walking on his own again.</p><p>He is unsure when the staples will be removed, but will have x-rays performed on Feb. 23. For now, he is using a walker to help him move.</p><p>In addition to being the fire captain for the Hughestown Hose Company, Meranti also drives the fire truck for the Laflin Fire Department, works as a valet at the Mohegan Sun Pocono and was recently hired as a firefighter at the Pocono Raceway.</p><p>Because all of his jobs are part-time, Meranti cannot collect workers&#8217; compensation and is dipping into his savings account to provide for himself and his 4-year-old son.</p><p>While he is getting help from his family and friends, Meranti&#8217;s girlfriend, Kayla Chludzinski, started a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/3wn6upbw." target="_blank">GoFundMe</a> page for members of the community to donate money to help him pay medical expenses and provide for his son.</p><p>&#8220;She told me she was going to start the page and I was surprised,&#8221; Meranti said. &#8220;I&#8217;m not the type of person who tries to depend on people; I&#8217;m not used to asking people for help.&#8221;</p><p>A Hughestown resident, Meranti has been a member of the Hughestown Hose Company for nine years. Merlino said his strong work ethic is missed.</p><p>&#8220;Ryan&#8217;s not the type of guy to sit around and it&#8217;s tough not having him,&#8221; said Merlino. &#8220;We&#8217;re making due and we&#8217;re waiting for him to be healthy.&#8221;</p><p>Despite the long process of rehab, Meranti is thankful to be alive and looks forward to lacing up his fireman boots once more.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m just taking it day by day,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I&#8217;m fortunate to still be alive and I&#8217;m still here continuing to be part of the fire department and be an asset to the community, as I have been for nine years and still be able to see my son grow up.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Hughestown Hose Company Fire Captain Ryan Meranti, 24, injured his right leg in a car accident Feb. 2 in Old Forge. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_Ryan-Meranti-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Hughestown Hose Company Fire Captain Ryan Meranti, 24, injured his right leg in a car accident Feb. 2 in Old Forge. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>GoFundMe page setup for Hughestown Hose Company Fire Captain who was injured in car accident</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jimmy Fisher</p><p>jfisher@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>Want to help?</strong></p><p>To donate to Ryan Meranti, visit his GoFundMe page at <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/3wn6upbw." target="_blank">www.gofundme.com/3wn6upbw.</a></p></factboxMeta></div>

GoFundMe page setup for Hughestown Hose Company Fire Captain Ryan Meranti who was injured in car accident