By Nicole Cobler
Austin American-Statesman
BURNET, Texas — Daniel Hampton would have completed his paperwork to become a full-time firefighter at Brady Fire Department on Monday – a dream he had since he was 14 years old.
Instead, friends and family will come together Thursday to mourn his death after he was killed on duty last week while driving an ambulance that collided with an 18-wheeler.
Hampton, 35, started his Friday shift at at 2 p.m. and, shortly after 9 p.m., officials received reports of a crash involving his 2013 Ford Ambulance, Fire Chief Mark Ingram said Monday. Hampton was fatally injured in the wreck.
Hampton worked part-time for the Burnet Fire Department for two years. Ingram said he could see Hampton’s passion for his job every day he came into work.
Hampton, who served in the army for two years as a combat medic in Iraq, is survived by his wife and four children, Ingram said.
Paramedic Timothy Pierce and a patient were also in the ambulance during the wreck. Both suffered injuries and were transported to area hospitals, according to city officials.
Pierce, a full-time employee who has worked for the department for four years, is expected to leave the hospital in a few days and begin physical rehabilitation, Ingram said. He sustained multiple injuries – including a broken rib, a broken pelvis and a collapsed lung.
“We look forward to being by his side throughout this difficult process,” Ingram said in a press conference Monday.
Burnet Fire Department officials did not provide details Monday on the condition of the patient that was in the ambulance or details on how the wreck occured.
“At this time we ask that any speculation regarding the cause of the events on Friday evening be witheld to allow a full and complete investigation by the Texas Department of Public Safety,” Ingram said.
Ingram said he has been in contact with Hampton’s family since the wreck. Members of the community have been reaching out to to the family to offer donations, he said.
“The support has been overwhelming,” Ingram said.
A funeral is set for Hampton at 10 a.m. on Thursday at the Hill Country Fellowship Church in Burnet. He will receive full firefighter honors, Ingram said.
Donations for both the Hampton and the Pierce families are currently being accepted through the Hill Country 100 Club, which channels financial support to families of first responders killed in the line of duty. It has already donated $20,000 to the Hampton family, the group said.
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