CA Fire Capt. Jumps from Overpass, Killed by Big Rig

An Orange County fire captain jumped from an interstate overpass into the path of a big rig and was killed.

According to a report by The Orange County Register, the man was Capt. Eric Weuve, 41, an 11-year veteran with the department based out of Station 64 in Westminster.

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) was notified that a man was scaling a fence on the Crown Valley Parkway I-5 overpass on Tuesday morning and jumped minutes later, according to the newspaper report. He was killed by a big rig after jumping.

Crews from the Orange County Fire Authority arrived on the scene and noticed a pickup truck with fire gear in it at the top of the overpass. That's when they found Weuve on the freeway, according to the newspaper.

Chaplains were sent to the scene as well as the department’s Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Team, the paper reported.

Weueve was married with two kids, a boy, 14, and a girl, 5.

“Weuve was a well-respected member of the Orange County Fire Authority, a wonderful father and will be missed not only in the OCFA community, but the community at large,” OCFA Capt. Larry Kurtz told the paper. “The word tragedy just doesn’t do the situation justice.”

Behavioral Health Resources

• How Firefighters Can Manage Stress
• Martin, Tran, Buser: Depression & PTSD Shown to Be Strongest Predictors of Suicide
• Morrison: How Fire Departments are Addressing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Sendelbach: Assessing Risk Never Stops
• Lamplugh: Responding to Your Own Mental Health
• Lorber: Stress Awareness: Signs & Symptoms
• Ludwig: Suicides Among Fire & EMS Professionals
• Warren: When Firefighters Become Patients
• Ludwig: Suicides Among Firefighters and Paramedics
• Sendelbach: Continuing the Conversation
• Siarnicki: Who Responds to a Firefighter’s Worst Day?
• Kenny: Suicide Prevention: Do Something About It
• Wilmoth: Can We Talk?
• Video: Suicide in the Fire Service: Saving Firefighters
  
• Video: Soaring Firefighter Suicides Focus of Documentary