VIDEO: A Merced firefighter has been through an incredible, life-changing journey after his left leg was amputated following a motorcycle accident nearly a year ago.
“No matter what you go through, whatever cards you are dealt in your life, if you want it bad enough, you can get back to whatever it is that you want to do,” said Merced Firefighter, Rhett Avant. This is the mindset of firefighter Rhett Avant; it helped him push through an unexpected challenge in life. In April of 2025, he was riding his motorcycle to work when he crashed.
At the hospital, his left foot was amputated, but Avant asked for more of his leg to be removed because the prosthetic options would give him a better opportunity to get back to work as a firefighter. “Once hearing and talking to the professionals, and finding out that yeah, I can do it with just the ankle, but to take it up below the knee, it opens up opportunities and is kind of a no-brainer,” said Avant.
His friend and fellow firefighter, Billy Dickens, says the crash scared everyone, but what didn’t surprise them was Rhett’s determination to pivot and return to work.
