Volunteer Firefighter Riley Terrebonne died on April 21 from injuries he sustained while assisting at the scene of a crash the previous night, according to Springfield Fire Rescue Chief Brian Drury. The 29-year-old firefighter, who was set to turn 30 this Saturday, was headed home after picking his dad up from work when he approached the crash in nearby Tangipahoa Parish.
He stopped his vehicle and began to help render care to the victim. An oncoming car then struck Terrebonne, pinning him against a guard rail. He was then flown to North Oaks Hospital where he was stabilized and then was taken to Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge. He was pronounced dead at 12:30 p.m.
"I've known him for the last two years very well. He was very happy to be here, doing what he was doing," Drury said. He said Terrebonne was previously a firefighter in Port Sulfur, La., but that when Huricanne Katrina struck, his family moved to Livingston Parish. Drury said as soon as Terrebonne arrived he joined Springfield Fire/Rescue, Livingston Parish Fire Protection District 2.
"He was absolutely committed," he said. "He was all-in for the fire department and the community. Whatever you needed, he would do it. "He would always smile. You could not make him mad." Terrebone's teenage nephew was injured in the incident when he exited the vehicle to assist crews with his uncle and was hit by another oncoming vehicle. He suffered broken bones and lacerations and is currently hospitalized in stable condition. Drury said that as soon as he is old enough, the boy plans to be a junior firefighter.