UPDATE: Noel Espino takes first steps since losing leg in accident

CALIFORNIA (WTVQ) – Guam Army National Guard Captain Noel Espino recently took his first steps since losing a leg in an accident in Lexington last September.  ABC 36 News received the video and information update from Father Norman Fischer, who befriended Espino and his family during the guard member’s long hospital stay in Lexington.

Lexington Police say Espino was in Lexington for military training and was standing outside the Beer Trappe on Euclid Avenue.  Investigators say then-Lexington firefighter Jarad McCargo was under the influence when he backed into Espino while reportedly trying to park his vehicle, pinning Espino against the building.  Espino was critically injured and ended up having his left leg amputated. 

Police say McCargo is accused of driving drunk and leaving the scene of an accident.  McCargo has pleaded not guilty.  He was fired by the city shortly after the reported accident.

After months of recuperation in a hospital in Lexington, Espino was moved to California to begin physical rehabilitation, which included his recent first steps.