Family, friends and an entire community are grieving after a Triple Community Fire Department firefighter was hit and killed by a pickup truck while clearing storm debris late Sunday night in Drexel.
Department officials said that two firefighters were clearing debris from the roadway on Highway 70 when a pickup truck traveling eastbound struck firefighter Jason Hensley, 40, just before midnight.
Hensley was killed on impact. Firefighters said Hensley was wearing his turnout gear and a safety vest at the time, and that the emergency lights on his vehicle, along with another truck and a patrol car, were all on when the collision happened.
An investigation conducted by the North Carolina Highway Patrol found that Randall Stewart, 58, was driving recklessly without a license while impaired. He also had marijuana in his possession.