18-year-old firefighter dies after crashing on his way to 911 call, Texas family says

An 18-year-old volunteer firefighter has died in a Texas hospital weeks after he crashed on the way to the scene of an accident, according to his family.

Evan Brown was a fourth-generation volunteer firefighter, ,and he had plans to become an EMT, in addition to “continuing his family’s legacy in their trucking, farming, and ranching business,” his obituary says. But that all came to a halt the night of July 9.

“The Honey Grove (Volunteer Fire Department) responded to a call that no department ever wants to. An accident involving their own,” the department said in a July 10 Facebook post.,

Brown and another member of the department were responding to a 911 call when they crashed, and Brown suffered “serious injuries,” the post said.

They hit a cow that was in the road, and the vehicle rolled, KXII reported.

Brown was ejected from his pickup truck, his family said on social media.

Through Facebook posts, Brown’s family kept friends and neighbors up to date with his struggle, the seizures, the brain swelling, the surgeries and drugs to keep him stable. At times it seemed as if he might pull through.

“This is the hardest thing we have ever had to do,” his family said in a July 30 post. “Evan gained his wings about 6:10 this morning surrounded by the love of his family.”

A visitation will be held at the Honey Grove High School gym at 1 p.m. on Aug. 3, followed by a funeral service at 3 p.m., according to Brown’s obituary.

“Evan had a great love for the outdoors, his pickup, and surrounding himself with family and friends,” his obituary read. “He was the type of person that was always the life of the party, even when there was no party.”

This story was originally published July 31, 2023 at 1:47 PM with the headline "18-year-old firefighter dies after crashing on his way to 911 call, Texas family says."