Firefighter killed, 5 others injured at Ill. crash scene

By EMS1 Staff

HUDSON, Ill. — One firefighter was killed and five others were injured while working an accident scene on a snowy Ill. highway.

A release from the Hudson Community Fire Protection District said that firefighters were at the scene of a multi-vehicle accident Tuesday night when a semitractor trailer truck carrying automobiles lost control and hit three Hudson Fire Department and Illinois State Police vehicles.

Firefighter Christopher Brown was taken to the emergency room where he later died. He was a 39-year-old full-time firefighter for the city of Bloomington.

Firefighter Brown was killed by multiple blunt-force injuries sustained when he was hit by the truck. He leaves a wife and two children behind.

"Today we lost a member of our Hudson family. We share in the sorrow felt by his loved ones, and we must not forget the valuable contributions he made to this community and the impact he has left on the Hudson Fire Department," Chief Dan Hite told the News-Gazette. "The Hudson Fire Department is a close-knit family, and the loss of one of our own affects us all. A tragedy of this type is felt by each and every member, but together we can make it through. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."

An Illinois State Police accident reconstructionist is investigating the incident and an autopsy for the fallen firefighter is scheduled for Wednesday.