STEVENSVILLE — Thursday was a special day for a former Montana Highway Patrol trooper Wade Palmer, whose life was upended several years ago in a series of shootings near Missoula.
On March 15, 2019, Palmer was shot in the neck, face, and head, after locating the suspect involved in an earlier shooting that injured two people and killed one in Missoula. Palmer was taken to Saint Patrick Hospital in Missoula in critical condition, and eventually flown to Salt Lake City to receive Level I trauma care. He returned home to Missoula on May 22, 2019, where he continued to receive outpatient treatment.
Now fast forward to December 12, 2024, as Tunnels To Towers - which builds houses for America's injured military members and first responders - is welcoming Palmer and his family into a new home.
"You know, just - we're here and it is a coming home," said Trooper Palmer's wife Lindsey.
The Stevensville-based Palmer family has been recovering after Wade Palmer was injured in a surprise attack. Now, the family was given a special first look and welcome to their new home courtesy of the Tunnels to Towers Foundation.
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"[The Palmer's] love Montana, they love serving their community. It's the least we can do in paying them back," former FDNY Battalion Chief John Carroll told MTN.
The mortgage-free smart home can be controlled with a phone. “The recipient gets their independence and some dignity back in their lives and it frees up the rest of the family so they don't have to have 24-hour care,” detailed Carroll.
The house is specifically tailored to Wade's needs and he was excited walking through it. "Everything in this home is perfectly set up for Wade and anything that his future could hold," said Lindsey.
It is set up with everything from wide hallways that can fit a wheelchair to a touchless sink and a special bathroom.
"Just being able for him to feel comfortable in his own home and have a place where he can be and be safe and have access to everything that he needs is the most amazing feeling in the world," explained Lindsey.
The community has consistently rallied around the couple and their two kids.
"Everybody in this town has been so supportive of us and even not just in this town but in Missoula and the valley and everywhere. Knowing that they're still behind us, even 5.5 years later, it's an amazingly awesome feeling," stated Lindsey.
