A firefighter from Wisconsin was killed in a collision with a semi on Thursday night in northern Indiana, authorities said.
Tom Diener served as a firefighter/paramedic with the Oshkosh Fire Department and as a lieutenant with the Sheboygan Fire Department, the Oshkosh Fire Department said in a Facebook post. Two other firefighters, who officials identified as Carter Haen and Robbie Betts, were injured in the crash.
The three were traveling for work related to public safety and emergency warning systems, officials said, when the crash occurred along U.S. Route 30 near Plymouth, Indiana. Plymouth is approximately 25 miles south of South Bend.
WNDU, the NBC affiliate in South Bend, reported a semi driver hit the firefighters’ pickup truck, which was on the shoulder and attached to a tow truck at the time of the crash.
Diener and Haen are listed as the owners of Sheboygan Warning Systems, an outdoor warning systems company, according to its website.
The Oshkosh Fire Department, in the Facebook post, described Diener as “a dedicated firefighter, volunteer public servant, and business owner…”
“We hold Carter and Robbie close in our hearts as they navigate the days ahead, and we are wrapping Tom’s family and loved ones in our deepest sympathy,” the department said. “We ask our community to keep them all in your thoughts and to respect their privacy during this difficult time.”
The Sheboygan Fire Department made a Facebook post of its own, urging people to keep the firefighters’ families, friends and coworkers in their thoughts and prayers.
“These three gentlemen have spent their adult lives serving the public and keeping multiple communities safe,” the department stated, in part.
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
