LYNDEBOROUGH, N.H. — A volunteer firefighter driving to celebrate his wedding anniversary was killed after a tree fell onto his pickup truck Tuesday.
CBS Boston reported 31-year-old Derek Lankowski was driving around 2:45 p.m. when high winds blew a tree onto his truck. He was pronounced dead on scene. Lankowski was the only person in the truck at the time of the incident.
The Lyndeborough (N.H.) Fire Department wrote a post on Facebook about Lankowski, who had been a firefighter-EMT with the department for eight years.
“Tragic day for the Lyndeborough Fire Department, today we lost a firefighter, friend and a family member due to a freak accident,” read the post. “He was the type of guy that would do anything for anyone; he would always have stories to tell and got along with everyone he met.”
Chief Don Cole had known Lankowski for years and considered him a friend.
“Derek was a very warm-hearted individual,” Cole told WUMR.com. “Every time he walked into the station or call, he lit up the atmosphere, and I think that’s what we’re going to miss the most. He was always smiling, always laughing.”
Cole said Lankowski became a firefighter-EMT because he wanted to help others.
“He and I have been on multiple calls a lot, and he was a great person, great fireman, great EMT,” Cole said.
Local responders paid their respects to Lankowski by escorting his body to a funeral home in police cars and fire trucks.