Moira Ritter
The Charlotte Observer
(TNS)
A 27-year-old father and volunteer firefighter died when the firetruck he was driving ran off the road, Tennessee officials and loved ones say.
Roy Sewell was driving a firetruck around 4 p.m. on Monday, April 24, when the truck ran off the right side of the road into an embankment and flipped, Tennessee Highway Patrol officers told WATE. No other vehicles were involved in the wreck.
Sewell was responding to a request for a landing zone for a Lifestar helicopter transport when the wreck occurred, according to the Tazewell Police Department.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment.
North Tazewell Volunteer Fire Department identified Sewell as one of their captains in a Facebook post.
“With a saddened heart, we mourn the recent loss of our fallen brother, Captain Roy Sewell,” the department wrote on Tuesday. “Roy represented the best of us all. We love you brother. Greater love hath no man than this.”
Sewell and his wife, Randi Meshea Sewell, had a daughter and were expecting their second child in July, according to a Facebook post.
“Last I spoke to him, he was telling me how excited (and nervous!) he was to be expecting a baby boy this summer,” Paige Smith wrote in her post. “The world isn’t as bright today. It’s quieter too. The silence is deafening.”
He also worked as a digital team lead at Walmart, according to his Facebook page.
“He was always helpful and kind to my children. I’m going to miss his customer service at Walmart,” one person wrote on Facebook.
Other loved ones shared tributes to Sewell on social media.
“Yesterday doesn’t feel real,” Sewell’s sister-in-law wrote in a Facebook post. “If you knew Roy, you knew that he was one of the nicest people you’ve ever met. I was blessed to have known Roy and even more blessed to call him my brother in law.”
“Roy truly gave his all to his family first, then this department. His willingness to serve and heart for his brotherhood and community went unmatched,” Sewell’s brother said in a comment. “We’re all shocked and words are hard to come by, but one thing rings true and it’s that he was doing what he loved.”
Tazewell is about 50 miles northeast of Knoxville.
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