Gassaway Firefighter John D. Forbush died while attempting to rescue a mother and child from the Elk River after their vehicle left the roadway near Sutton.
The woman was driving along Route 4 when she lost control of her vehicle and went into the Elk River near the Braxton County Senior Center, according to a report by MetroNews.
Several police officers and firefighters arrived and entered the river to attempt to rescue the vehicle's occupants. The mother was pulled out first, but had succumbed to her injuries.
Forbush entered the water to save the child, according to officials. Unfortunately, both Forbush and the child have died.
“It’s not something easy to articulate and it takes a while to overcome that,” Braxton County OES Director John Hoffman told MetroNews. “I think you’ll see in the days to come there will be some impact from the fire departments themselves in the loss of their fellow firefighter.”
In a Facebook post the Wilderness Volunteer Fire Department said, “Our hearts pour out to our brothers & sisters in Braxton County, WV, and Gassaway VFD Station 2 during this difficult time.”
Editor's note: Forbush leaves behind his wife, Amber Frame, and their one-year-old daughter. A GoFundMe page to cover Forbush's funeral expenses as been set up and raised nearly $6,000 in the first eight hours.
