An off-duty Tennessee firefighter died from injuries he suffered during severe weather that swept through the area late Sunday.
Spring Hill firefighter Mitchell Earwood, 34, had been outside with his daughter near his Maury County home when the storms hit, Fire Chief Terry Hood told WKRN-TV. That's when " a tragic weather-related incident" took place, according to the Spring Hill Police Department, and Hood added that the veteran firefighter was fatally struck by a falling tree limb.
Earwood had worked with the city for 10 years. He also was a lifetime member of the Williamson County Rescue Squad, the agency said in an online statement.
“Mitchell served the WCRS proudly as a Tech II and committed many hours as a professional volunteer firefighter with both Station 14 and 23,” the squad wrote in a statement. “Mitchell was a dear friend and a true public servant giving his all. He will be sadly missed."
Since 2009, Earwood had been a member of the Maury County Fire Department and was a live-in member at Station 11, where his father, Jerry, is district chief. His stepmother, Linda, also is a firefighter with the department.
"We have lost one of the 'good ones' who had us in tears from the jokes or stories he was always telling," the Maury County Fire Department said in an online statement. "We will truly miss you buddy."
Sunday's storms left parts of middle Tennessee without power and damaged homes in the area.
