LOS ANGELES : Riot-Related Injury Likely to End Firefighter’s Career

A Los Angeles firefighter critically wounded by gunfire during the riots “has a good prognosis for a fairly good recovery” but probably will not be able to return to firefighting, his doctor said Thursday.

Scott Miller, 33, was driving a hook-and-ladder rig to an arson fire near 30th Street and Western Avenue on April 29 when a gunman pulled up alongside and fired one shot. The bullet struck Miller in the neck and ripped apart the main artery leading to his brain.

The 10-year Fire Department veteran suffered a stroke, leading to nearly complete paralysis on the left side of his body. “He has recovered leg movement, but he still has some trouble with the left side of his arm,” said Cedars-Sinai Medical Center surgeon Robert Wegmeister. “He will be left with some neurological defects because of the terrible nature of his injuries.”

The bullet also paralyzed one of Miller’s vocal cords and impaired his ability to swallow. He can speak “fluently but hoarsely,” Dr. Charles Caratelo said, and is being fed through a tube in his stomach.