An Indiana insurance agent and volunteer firefighter was killed at the scene of a crash Friday after being run over by another firefighter.
Kendall J. Murphy, 27, was an insurance agent at German American Insurance in Jasper, Ind. He and two other firefighters were responding to a crash when a fourth responding firefighter, Colby Blake, arrived in his Dodge Ram truck. Blake struck two vehicles with his truck before hitting Murphy. Blake then crashed the truck into another firefighter’s vehicle.
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Murphy died at the scene, according to a report by the Dubois County Herald. Blake was uninjured, but police said that his blood alcohol level was .21%, far over the legal limit. He was arrested and has been charged with the felony of impaired driving causing death.
Joe Dedman, president and CEO of German American Insurance, told the Herald that Murphy was “a wonderful young man. Full of potential. He just had a great personality and really connected with people right away.”
Dedman added that Murphy had recently become engaged to be married.
Tim Showalter, Montgomery, Ind., fire chief, said Murphy was a third-generation firefighter whose father and grandfather both served.
“He was overall just a great kid,” Showalter told the Herald. “A great firefighter. A great person, period.”
Showalter said that Murphy would receive a full fireman’s funeral.
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