GASSAWAY, W.Va. –Dozens of first responders lined the roadways in Kanawha County up Interstate-79 into Braxton County on Wednesday to honor a fallen firefighter.
A procession escorting the body of John Forbush, 24, a member of the Gassaway Volunteer Fire Department left the Charleston Mortuary on Bigley Avenue around 9 a.m. and headed north onto the interstate.
Forbush died on Sunday when he jumped into the Elk River in an attempt to save two others after a car plunged into the waters. Latonya Bell, 42, and her daughter, Havana Pipkins, 8, both from Cleveland, Ohio, were in the car and died. The Braxton County Sheriff’s Office ruled the incident a murder-suicide
After the procession accessed Interstate-77 via the Westmoreland Drive ramp in Charleston and proceed onto Interstate-79 North, it took take Exit 62. The procession then turned right onto Route 4 and proceed into Gassaway.
The procession ended at Roach Funeral Home located at 708 Braxton Street in the Town of Gassaway.
Fellow first responders and citizens lined the route, in particular overpasses on Interstate-79, to honor the four-year firefighter.
Funeral arrangements have not been announced as of Wednesday morning.
The procession for fallen FF John Forbush occurred this morning. His body is being taken home to Braxton County, escorted by many first responder vehicles. pic.twitter.com/vFvrOJNyxT
— WVState Fire Marshal (@WVFireMarshal) May 4, 2022