KS firefighter looking for crash victims was killed by shock from damaged power lines
A firefighter in southwest Kansas who was looking for victims of a rollover crash died after receiving an electric shock from damaged power lines.
The firefighter was searching through wreckage Sunday afternoon when he was electrocuted, Morton County Emergency Management said in a Facebook post. The crash was reported at 5:52 p.m. on Sunday south of Rolla, which is about 250 miles from Wichita.
“CPR was initiated by responders on scene with assistance from Morton County EMS,” emergency management said in the Facebook post.
“The firefighter was transported to Morton County Hospital where he later succumbed to the injuries.”
The firefighter’s name was not released by authorities, but Monday’s post says he worked for the Morton County/Rolla fire department.
A GoFundMe account posted later that seeks to raise money for the family of the fallen firefighter identified him as 42-year-old Joshua Schwindt.
“We would like to help the family with any extra expense that should occur in the near future,” the GoFundMe account says.
“Josh was a son, brother, husband, father, papa, and friend. The community has suffered a great loss in the passing of Josh and he will be greatly missed by many.”
The fund had raised just over $3,000 of its $25,000 goal by Wednesday afternoon. You can find it at www.gofundme.com/f/friendship-fund-for-josh-schwindt-family.
Schwindt was the first firefighter who responded to Sunday’s crash site. He and a Morton County deputy arrived at the scene five minutes after the wreck was reported, according to the post.
This story was originally published August 16, 2021 at 1:20 PM.
