A young firefighter from Tennessee had some devastating final words after being involved in a rollover crash while responding to an emergency call.
Captain Roy Sewell Jr., 27, was working with the North Tazewell Volunteer Fire Department on Monday (April 24), when he was "responding to a request for a landing zone" for a medical helicopter on Cedar Fork Road. It was then that the fatal rollover crash occurred, per a Facebook statement released by the Tazewell Police Department (TPD).
"The Tazewell Police Department along with all of our other emergency services and community mourns the untimely loss of North Tazewell Fire Department Captain Roy Sewell Jr.. Captain Sewell was responding to a request for a landing zone for Lifestar on Cedar Fork Road when he was involved in a rollover crash that claimed his life," they wrote.
"We offer our condolences to his family and our brothers and sisters in the fire service. Thank you Captain Sewell for your service," the statement concluded.
WATE-TV reported that Sewell had been behind the wheel of a Spartan Fire Truck when it went off the side of the road, with Sewell dying as a result of the crash.
In a separate statement following the devastating incident, the North Tazewell Volunteer Fire Department (NTVFD) confirmed his death in a separate statement: "With a saddened heart, we mourn the recent loss of our fallen brother, Captain Roy Sewell. We ask that you please respect his family at this time and them in thoughts in this hard time. Roy represented the best of us all. We love you brother. Greater love hath no man than this."
The incident that Sewell had been responding to was reported an ATV crash involving a child, with Fire Department Chief LaRoy Brandt stating that a helicopter had been brought in to help transport the injured party. Sewell was doing the best he could to assist in the situation. "His last real message on the radio was 'Where do you need me?'" Brandt said, according to WVLT-TV.
The outlet also detailed how Sewell had been with the Fire Department for close to 10 years. Brandt explained that he was a person who "believed in serving his fellow man." He added: "All you had to do is ask him for help, and he'd be there. If at all possible, he'd be there."
Sewell leaves behind a wife, Randi, as a well as a daughter and unborn son. According to his obituary, he was also father to a child who passed before.
"His favorite pass time was spending time with his wife and little girl. Roy will always be remembered for his fun spirit, kind heart, and how much he loved and encouraged everyone around him. Roy never met a stranger who he couldn't call 'friend', his time working at Walmart and for the Fire Department gave him the chance to meet and get to know countless people and touch the lives of more than we could ever know," it read.
Our thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to Roy Sewell's family, friends, and colleagues at this difficult time.