Alfred Wohrman, 60, died in an motor vehicle accident while returning from a nearby accident, state police said Monday. Wohrman was a volunteer firefighter and a commissioner with the Beekman Fire Department.
Wohrman was driving west on Route 55 about 9:07 a.m. when the rescue truck he was driving left the north shoulder of the road and struck several trees, state police Sgt. Robert Hogan said. Wohrman was returning from the scene of an accident about a quarter mile east from where he crashed. Members of his department were called off from the earlier accident because it was in the Pawling Fire Department's jurisdiction, Beekman Chief Greg Rayburn said Monday.
Rayburn called Wohrman, who served for more than 40 years, ``the heart of the fire company.''
Firefighters were offered sessions with grief counselors Sunday.
``It's a very hard, unfortunate situation,'' Rayburn said. ``We're all here for each other, supporting each other.''
There were no signs of brake or skid marks where the truck left the road about a mile west of Route 292, Hogan said. Wohrman was transported to St. Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie, where he was pronounced dead.
An accident investigation was performed by state police and an autopsy was performed Monday morning. Police were investigating the possibility that a heart condition may have contributed to the accident, but the autopsy could not determine if there was a heart attack because of Wohrman's injuries. The official cause of death was listed as blunt trauma.
Route 55 was closed for several hours Sunday as police investigated.
Wake:Tuesday, April 19 7-9pm. Wednesday, April 20 2-4pm and 7-9pm.
Funeral:Thursday, April 21 11am. Horn and Thomes Funeral Home.
