Iraq Veteran-Seattle Firefighter Back to Work

Seattle firefighter, Iraq veteran returns to work with prosthetic brace
NBC King 5 News
Alison Morrow
October 8, 2014

Seattle firefighter Matt Runte is walking again, thanks to a newly developed prosthetic brace.
(Photo: KING)

SEATTLE -- A Seattle firefighter is dreaming big again after nearly losing his ability to walk, much less work.

No stranger to training or training hard, it wasn't just war that pushed Matt Runte to his physical edge. More than a decade after returning from Iraq uninjured, a car hit Runte on his motorcycle.

"It wasn't until I got to looking at my feet that I saw my left boot had blown out," he said. "It's a non-functioning forefoot."

Runte lost two toes and suffered severe blood vessel damage. He could barely walk, much less run the marathons he once enjoyed.

Then, Hanger Clinical Director Ryan Blanck took on Runte's case with the prosthetic brace he just developed.
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