BEAUFORT, Mo. — A 16-year-old junior volunteer firefighter with the Beaufort-Leslie Fire Protection District tragically lost his life in the line of duty on April 4, while responding to a water rescue in Franklin County.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said Junior Firefighter Chevy Gall was responding in his personally owned vehicle when the crash occurred, First Alert 4 reported. He was transported to Mercy Washington Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
“Tonight is a fire chief’s worst nightmare. We are heartbroken by the loss of one of our own,’ Beaufort-Leslie Fire Protection District Fire Chief Terry Feth said on social media. “Chevy died while answering the call to help others. Our entire department is grieving, as we mourn with Chevy’s family, friends, and our fellow first responders during this incredibly difficult time.”
According to the highway patrol, Gall was traveling west on U.S. Highway 50 when his Kia crossed the centerline and collided with a Dodge cargo van. The report noted that Gall was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.
The other driver suffered minor injuries.
