A Sunday afternoon tragedy tore at the fabric of the Gassaway Volunteer Fire Department as the community lost a young firefighter trying to rescue a mother and young child, and all were lost.
Firefighter John Dean Forbush, 24, died Sunday according to the Braxton County Sheriff’s Department when he attempted a rescue. A woman lost control of her vehicle about 2:30 p.m. in the parking lot near the Braxton County Senior Center and went into the Elk River not far from the Sutton I-79 exit. The names of the mother and child have not been released.
First Responders, Firefighters and police officers went into the river in an attempt to rescue the woman and her young daughter who were trapped in the vehicle but were unable to get them out. The mother was recovered first and pronounced dead at the scene. Forbush died attempting to save the child who also perished.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
East Fork VFD Fire station posted the tribute below on their Facebook page, with the picture above of the fallen fighter.
