Clay County firefighter dies responding to accident on Saturday

CLAY COUNTY, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — UPDATE: The Clay County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that a volunteer firefighter who was responding to an accident died in a single-vehicle crash early Saturday morning.

The death of Roy Smith, 60, who volunteered with several local agencies across the Wabash Valley, happened early Saturday. 

According to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, just after midnight on Saturday authorities were dispatched to the area of State Road 42 between County Road 100 E and State Road 59 to a report of a single vehicle that had left the roadway and struck a tree.

Upon arrival, deputies say Smith who was a Posey Volunteer Fire Department member, is believed to have been responding to another call near the area at the time of the accident.

Due to severity of the accident, fire officials had to extricate Smith from the vehicle. Smith was transported to a nearby hospital before passing early Saturday morning.

Roy Smith, also served as a Deputy Coroner with the Clay County Coroner’s Office.

The STAR Ambulance Service wrote on Facebook on Saturday:

“The Clay County Emergency Response Community lost a central figure and pillar early this morning,” said STAR Ambulance Service. “Roy Smith tragically lost his life while doing what he was so often doing…. responding to a call for help. A friend and a mentor to countless individuals in the region, including so many of our staff. A tremendous loss that the community will feel immediately and immensely. Our condolences are with the Smith family and to all of Roy’s friends who are hurting.”

The Clay County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the cause of the accident and believe roadway surface conditions could have contributed to the cause of the accident. Parke County Coroner’s Office is conducting the death investigation.

This is a developing story, and WTWO News will share more information as it becomes available.