ROBERTSDALE, Alabama --- While they will be opponents on the playing field, firefighters and police officers will be united for a good cause on Saturday, March 17 at Fairhope Municipal Park.

Beginning at 11 a.m., a team of firefighters and a team of police officers will meet for a charity softball game to raise money for Summerdale Police Officer Terry Fent, who was severely injured in a single-vehicle car accident Feb. 18 in Summerdale.

Fent, 37, from Robertsdale, is recovering at USA Medical Center in Mobile after attempting to avoid an animal on Hoffman Road around 8:10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 18.

In an interview just days after the accident, Summerdale Police Chief Eddie Ingram reported that Fent hit a culvert with his pickup truck on the way to a training session after his wheels left the road and the vehicle steered into a ditch.

The patrolman broke his back in two places near his neck and his lower back, suffered massive head injuries and a spinal cord injury, Ingram said.  Fent was experiencing numb limbs and loss of dexterity in his arms but was not paralyzed, according to the victim’s mother in the initial report of the incident.

According to the latest reports, Fent is up and able to walk in a limited capacity and swelling in his intestines which has made getting nourishment difficult, is beginning to ease.

This will be the second event for Fent organized by friends Hillary Johnson and Candie Koenig.

While rain proved to be a hindrance to the event held March 3 at Garrett Park in Robertsdale, an estimated $3,200 was raised for Fent and his family.

 “We were expecting more, but we’re certainly not complaining,” Koenig said.

Admission will be charged at the gate for this coming weekend’s event in Fairhope.

There will also be food, entertainment, door prizes and games for kids of all ages. Koenig said they are also hoping to have inflatables and a rock climbing wall.

In an earlier interview Koenig said while she did not know Fent personally, she has organized similar events and was contacted by Johnson to help organize the two benefits.

“My fiancé is a police officer in Spanish Fort and I know if we were ever in that situation we would be looking to others to help out,” she said. “We just want to do everything we can to help him and his family through this difficult time.”

A 14-year veteran in law enforcement, Fent was the assistant chief in Silverhill before being rehired by the Summerdale Police Department in November.

Because Fent was still under a three-month probationary period as a condition of his hire, he did not have any health insurance, Ingram said. The police department has set up a fund to help the wounded officer pay medical expenses related to the accident.  He was just seven days from receiving full benefits from the department when the accident occurred.

Anyone wishing to participate in Saturday’s benefit can contact Johnson at 251-391-5587 or Koenig at 251-424-7212. Information can also be obtained on the Officer Fent Support Page on Facebook.

Donations for Fent’s medical expenses can also be delivered or mailed to the Summerdale Municipal Complex at 502 W. Lee Ave, Summerdale, AL, 36580. Donors should make checks payable to Terry Fent, Ingram said.