BAKERSFIELD, CA - A 14-year-old boy is praising the work of the Kern County Sheriff's Department.
Last month, Brenden Sparks was in a motorcycle accident that left him stranded and injured. Now, he's at home recovering thanks to a deputy who hoisted him to safety in a helicopter.
Rescues happen throughout the year, but rarely do the injured meet their first responders.
Wednesday was an exception.
The two met at the Sheriff's helicopter hanger for the first time since the accident, exchanging smiles but also remembering what happened December 28th.
Sparks said he was in a dirt bike accident that day in Jawbone Canyon. He broke his leg and cracked his hip.
His family said Sparks hit a rock and fell off a cliff, and since deputies couldn't get to Sparks with an ambulance the Sheriff's Department sent its helicopter. Deputy Brad Brandon hoisted Sparks up that day, comforting him the whole way up. It's something Sparks says he'll be forever grateful for.
"I'm speechless. I don't know. I'm so thankful. It's insane, and I can't be more thankful," said Sparks.
"A lot of time we do a lot of these rescues and they come, they go, and you never hear anything about it so it's actually kind of cool, actually getting to see him again and see how he is healing up. He looks a lot better than the last time I saw him, that's for sure," said Deputy Brandon.
The reason the two met Wednesday is because Sparks requested the meeting. Sparks said he wanted to thank the deputy in person who helped him.
Sparks says he should be able to walk in a month and fully recover in four to six months.