Court says ex-firefighter in Missouri must be paid

CLAYTON, Mo. -- A state appeals court has ruled that a suburban St. Louis firefighter is entitled to earn her full pay while she recovers from injuries suffered while on duty eight years ago.

While responding to house fire in 2006, firefighter Cindy Schuenke was burned and shocked by a broken electrical wire while looking for a 76-year-old woman who ultimately died in the blaze.

The injuries left Schuenke, who worked for the Community Fire District in St. Louis County, unable to work. She's had 96 surgeries since, many on the left hand doctors wanted to amputate.

Schuenke's union contract at the time said she had a right to a leave of absence for the duration of her recovery, according to her attorney, Lynette Petruska.

Petruska said that Schuenke's regular pay in 2006 was $84,000 a year, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

The district fired Schuenke, but a circuit court ruled she had to be reinstated in 2013.

District Attorney Neil Bruntrager declined to comment about decision by the appeals court, saying the district was still looking at other legal options.

Schuenke said she hopes one day to be able to return as a firefighter, but her attorney said Schuenke is permanently disabled and will never be able to return to work.

"My life's changed; I was very active, always helping out somebody or playing softball, soccer, hunting, fishing," Schuenke said. "I don't do any of it anymore. I can't tie a fishing line. It gets really cold out there hunting to where I can't stand it, my fingers hurt so bad."

Schuenke said she has struggled financially, adding she would have lost her house and car if it hadn't been for several fundraisers.