A Ghent volunteer firefighter succumbed to injuries he sustained after crashing into a utility pole while responding to a call last night, according to The Register-Star.
Firefighter William Akin, 52, was driving his 2001 GMC pick-up truck on Route 66 at approximately 9:11 p.m. when the incident occurred, Columbia County Sheriff David Harrison Jr. told the newspaper.
Akin's fire company was dispatched to an incident a few miles south of where he crashed.
Power lines fell down on top of his truck and he was removed by fellow firefighters and transported to Columbia Memorial where he was pronounced dead.
The possibility of a medical problem is being investigated, though it is unknown why Akin drove off the road.
An autopsy will be performed later today at St. Peter's hospital in Albany.
