Alabama firefighter community grieves the loss of young father in off-duty crash

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WIAT ) — Family, friends and colleagues are grieving the loss of a 23-year-old firefighter who died in a motorcycle crash earlier this week.

Justin King served as a full-time firefighter and EMT with the Hoover Fire Department. He also worked part-time for the Center Point Fire District. The close-knit fire service community is still struggling to come to terms with the death of the 23-year-old who died earlier this week after a motorcycle crash on U.S. 31 in Blount County. According to ALEA he left the roadway and struck a utility pole.

His death has dealt a blow to the entire community. King’s father and father-in-law are retired firefighters, as well as his older brother Austin who also works with CPFD.

“This brotherhood we have as firemen runs deep,” Austin King said. “I’ve got calls and texts from people that’s outside of these departments that I work for and that he works for, just reaching out from everywhere across the state.”

At Hoover’s Fire Station 6, an American flag now hangs over Justin’s turnout locker.

“Looking at the roster, he was actually supposed to work today,” Battalion Chief Scott Williamson noted. “And so he’s not here, you know, there’s a hole in that roster. It will take some time for everybody to process through their grief.”

Williamson said King, who he had known since he was a baby, was more than just a firefighter. He would do the work of a model employee with a “Yes, sir” and “a smile on his face.”

“We’ve got a saying faith, family, then fire department,” Williamson said. “For Justin, his faith and fire department were intertwined, because he was a part of it since he was born.”

While mourning this loss has been incredibly difficult, Austin knows he will see his younger brother again.

“At a young age, he definitely took Jesus into his heart at a young age, and he just always prayed man,” he explained. “I know he’s looking down on us right now. He’s probably laughing at me right now.”

A public visitation will be held on July 6 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Crossroads Baptist Church in Warrior. The funeral service will start afterward followed by a procession to County Line Baptist Church Cemetery in Trafford.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help cover funeral expenses, which can be found by clicking here. Family friend Holly Pate also created a sticker fundraiser for King’s family.

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