KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A disabled Knoxville firefighter, injured in the line of duty, is battling the Social Security Administration for disability benefits.

Chris Patterson has been trying to gain social security disability benefits for a year and a half. He was medically retired from the Knoxville Fire Department on December 31, 2023, following a career-ending injury. A year earlier, on December 23, 2022, he was rescuing a woman from a fire trapped on a second floor when he was injured.

"I had my driver bring a ladder over. I was able to get her out. When she came out, we came off the ladder. I hit the ground, and immediately I broke my back. I could hear a big explosion in my body," said Patterson.

Rushed to the hospital, Patterson was placed into intensive care and underwent surg

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