PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A South Jersey woman has been charged with the death Saturday of a firefighter as he was helping to clear up a crash on the Schuylkill Expressway.
Chas McGarvey, chief fire officer of the Lower Merion Fire Department, was visibly emotional as he announced the death of 49-year-old firefighter Tom Royds.
"He loved this job," he said. "We all love our jobs. We know it's dangerous and God, you never think something like this is going to happen."
Royds was among a group from the Belmont Hills and Gladwyne fire companies that responded to an accident called in around 3 a.m. on the Schuylkill Expressway westbound near the Gladwyne exit.
As McGarvey explained, another driver, later identified as 63-year-old Jacquelyn Walker, plowed into Royds as he helped clear the road for state troopers. He was taken to Paoli Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
"The car pulled over the shoulder with the trooper behind her," he detailed. "We take that next lane out and try and push everyone away and we believe she must’ve come down the shoulder."
Related
Royds was a career firefighter with the Union Fire Association in Bala Cynwyd. He was covering for a fellow firefighter in Belmont Hills.
"They needed a shift filled. All the career firefighters ... they work at different stations when they need to fill in and work here part time, and he took the shift. It was a vacation for some of the other guys," he said.
Two other firefighters and a state trooper were also struck. They were flown to Penn Presbyterian Hospital in West Philadelphia, where the firefighters underwent surgery.
Walker is facing charges including vehicular homicide and driving under the influence. She is being held at the Montgomery County Prison on $500,000 bail.
Related
McGarvey acknowledged this has been a difficult time for their department.
"It hasn’t even been three weeks since I stood before you regarding our last line of duty death, of Penn Wynne firefighter Sean DeMuynck," he said.
McGarvey announced the Belmont Hills fire company will be temporarily taken out of service as they mourn the loss of Royds.