A firefighter with the Thomasville Volunteer Fire Department is the victim of a fatal accident that happened as he and another firefighter were responding to a call, the Quill confirmed with a fire department spokesperson.
Tpr. C.C. Battreal with Troop G of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, based in Willow Springs, reported the crash happened when an eastbound 1992 International Smeal pumper truck ran off the right side of the road, overcorrected, crossed the center line and skidded before running off the left side of the road into a ditch, where it overturned. It was driven by a 66-year-old woman, the report shows.
The 72-year-old man that succumbed to his injuries, also from Birch Tree, was a passenger and was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m. Thursday by Oregon County Coroner Tom Clary, according to the patrol.
The crash happened at 5:26 p.m. on east U.S. 160, 4 miles south of Thomasville in Oregon County, the patrol reported.
Both the passenger and driver were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash and the driver was flown by Survival Flight to Regional Medical Center in Memphis, Tenn., for treatment of serious injuries. Battreal reported. He was assisted in the accident reconstruction by Tpr. R.D. Crewse.
A statement posted Friday morning on the Thomasville Eleven Point Valley Community Center Facebook page expressed appreciation for the service of community volunteers and asked for prayers for members of the Thomasville Volunteer Fire Department and the community, without naming the victim or indicating the reason for the request.
At this time, and since Nov. 1, the Missouri State Highway Patrol does not identify injured crash victims by name in public records, citing concerns that victims might be the target of scams.
The firefighter’s death is the second traffic fatality in the nine-county Troop G area for the year. It is the second this week, following a two-vehicle collision on Tuesday in Shannon County which claimed the life of a 6-year-old Alton boy. The patrol reports at this time 2024 there were no traffic fatalities.
