BELTON, Texas — 18 years ago, a Central Texas man awoke from a terrible accident to learn that our country was under attack. After surviving impalement, Frank Hernandez watched the Twin Towers go down from his hospital bed in Belton.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Hernandez was traveling northbound along South Loop Highway 121 in Belton when he struck an oversized mobile home being towed by a truck in the opposite direction. After losing control and spinning into a ditch, he awoke minutes later and realized he had been impaled by a piece of plywood from the mobile home.
He sat in the ditch for over two hours until the man who was driving the tow truck found him. Paramedics immediately arrived and were able to treat him at the scene.
Fortunately, Hernandez was able to make a full recovery and return to his job as a Bell County Sheriff Deputy, a job he held for over 18 years.
Each September 11 anniversary, Hernandez thinks of the men and women who helped save his life and those who were impacted by the terrorist attacks around the country.
