Incident Name:
Date: 4/7/11, 1745 hours
Personnel: David Jerome “Davey” Hunsinger, Jr.
Age: 24
Agency/Organization: Tar Heel Rural Volunteer Fire Department, Tar Heel, NC 28392
Position: Firefighter
Summary: Firefighter Davey Hunsinger was responding in his personal vehicle to a report of a brush fire. During the response, the right wheels of his Mazda 3 left the right side of the roadway. In response, he overcorrected and crashed into a minivan headed in the opposite direction. Firefighter Hunsinger was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. News reports quoting the law enforcement report on the crash cited speed as a factor.
Maps
Accident Location
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Reports, Documentation, Lessons Learned
- USFA Memorial Database: David J. Hunsinger, Jr
Wildlandfire.com Links:
- Hotlist thread: LODD
Media Articles and Reports.
- Tar Heel mourns firefighter’s death04/08/2011 | Online Article
TAR HEEL, NC (WWAY) — Family and friends are mourning the loss of a fallen firefighter, husband, son, brother and friend. The volunteer firefighter died on the way to a call in Bladen County yesterday. “Any time you needed him, he was there,” Tar Heel Deputy Fire Chief Bruce Dowless said. “And he was there till the job was done.”
David Hunsinger Jr., 23, died behind the wheel of his vehicle Thursday night. He was driving to the Tar Heel Fire Department to respond to a call.
Dowless says he’ll always remember Hunsinger as an extremely dedicated young man who loved serving his community. “He grew up in the firefighter setting and was carrying on his father’s footsteps very well,” Dowless said. Hunsinger’s father is David Hunsinger Sr, the Tar Heel Fire Chief.
According to Highway Patrol, David Hunsinger Jr. lost control of his vehicle Thursday in Bladen County, overcorrected into the left lane and hit another vehicle. The woman driving the vehicle Hunsinger hit was Lisa McMillan. She suffered minor injuries, but is doing fine.
Hunsinger’s family and friends gathered at the fire department Friday to support each other and remember their fallen brother. “It’s a process,” Dowless said. “They’ve got a big family to lean on, and the fire service is one big family. Everyone is coming to the aid of a fallen brother and their family.” Dowless said the amount of support from the local, state and national fire community is unbelievable.
Hunsinger was working toward a full time career of service this summer. He leaves behind a wife and two little girls. Hunsinger’s visitation is set for Saturday at 6 p.m. His funeral is Sunday at 2 p.m. Both events will be at the Tar Heel Fire Department.
Photos, Videos, & Tributes
Bladen County Fire Marshal Bradley Kinlaw said: “Firefighters from around the county and state were on hand at Bladen County Hospital to pay their respects as their brother firefighter was brought into the facility.”
Arrangements:
- Visitation is set for Saturday, April 9, 2011 from 18:00 to 22:00 hours at Tar Heel Fire Station, 269 Tar Heel Ferry Road, Tar Heel, North Carolina.
- Funeral: Sunday, April 10 at 14:00 hours, also at the Tar Heel Fire Station.
- Departments wishing to bring apparatus for the procession are requested to stage at the Tar Heel Rescue Squad building, located at 14871 Hwy 87, Tar Heel. Units should report to staging by 12:30 hours.
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