Former Windsor firefighter George Copeland dead at 64 [Video]

A former Windsor firefighter who stayed active in the community despite being paralyzed in a fire truck rollover nearly two decades ago has died.

George Copeland joined Windsor Fire and Rescue Services with the class of 1993.

He suffered a spinal cord injury when the fire truck he was driving crashed near the Ambassador Bridge in 2007.

Three other firefighters were injured in the crash but returned to work after a few months.

Since the accident, Copeland used a wheelchair for mobility.

“He was well-respected among his peers as a firefighter and acting captain for Windsor Fire,” said deputy fire chief Jamie Waffle in a statement.

In 2015, Copeland was inducted into the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association Hall of Fame, recognized as one of Ontario’s best college basketball players in the 1980s.

He was named a provincial all-star in each of the three seasons he played for the St. Clair College men’s basketball team, scoring 1,676 career points — …