The man injured last month in a deadly Forsyth County head-on crash that killed two other people is in intensive care at Grady Memorial Hospital.
But his bosses have not forgotten about him.
Thomas Wirkner, 59, of Marietta, was hauling a load of asphalt in a dump truck along Highway 9 in September when a garbage truck lost control and went into his path, deputies said.
“He fractured his skull and has a big cut down the side of his face,” Chuck Hatfield, Wirkner’s boss, told Channel 2 Action News. “They had to do some corrective surgery on his eye.
“It was scary. He was pretty beat up.”
Wirkner is a Marine veteran who prides himself on his toughness, Hatfield said.
"They asked him if he needed any pain medicine and he said no,” he told Channel 2. “I said, man, you're laying there all busted up. If it was me, I'd be asking for something.
“He looked up at me with the one eye and said, ‘I'm a Marine. I don't need any.’”
The crash killed Rodrick Thompson, 38, and his nephew Ta’shaun Thompson, 21, who were in the garbage truck.
Wirkner is affectionately known as “Prospector” in the trucking community because he pans for gold in his spare time.
So Hatfield has begun a Facebook page known as Prayer For “Prospector” for people to leave positive messages.
“It's been devastating for the whole company,” Lynn Hatfield said. “You never expect the worst, but that day came for our company. Our employees are very important to us.”
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