SPALDING COUNTY, Ga. --
A Spalding County firefighter accused of videotaping a fatal accident has been fired, according to the Spalding County Fire Department.
Terrence Reid was under investigation after the 23-year-old crash victim’s family members said they heard Reid shared the video at a local bar. Dayna Kempson-Schacht was killed when her car crashed into trees in Spalding County in July.
On the video, which Channel 2 Action News chose not to air, a person can be heard describing the scene and saying, “Look at that piece of skull right there on the console.”
Family members said someone recognized their daughter in the video and called them about it.
“That Mr. Reid recklessly disregarded the humanity of Ms. Kempson-Schacht and the people he was obligated to serve is clear and obvious,” Spalding County fire spokeswoman Virginia Martin said in a Friday news release. “Although it does not appear that Mr. Reid intended to cause harm with his actions, his egregious conduct has created grave negative feelings towards all Spalding County Firefighters and has eroded the public’s confidence in the department and in Spalding County.”
Although a Fire Department policy prohibited cell phone usage without a permission of a supervisor, Spalding fire claims the policy may have been misinterpreted.
“…Personnel likely were not trained sufficiently on the policy. Therefore, any violation of that policy cannot serve as grounds for termination,” Martin said.
She said Reid was fired because he repeatedly lied to superiors about who he shared the video with.
“Lying will not be tolerated by the County from any of its employees and is grounds for Mr. Reid’s termination,” said Martin.
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