Indiana Rescuers Mourn Colleague Killed by Fall on Ice
There were a lot of changes going on in Jeremy Rodecap's life. He had moved to a new town in Indiana, joined a new EMS company and set a wedding date.
But things turned tragic for the 29-year-old volunteer on Saturday night as he left his house to respond with Middletown EMS to a reported vehicle collision. He slipped on the ice, struck his head and died.
No one at his station missed him because the call was cancelled by a police officer who reported there were no injuries in the crash. "We just turned around and went home," said Middletown EMS Chief Phil Chandler.
Three hours later a passerby saw a man lying on the icy sidewalk and notified authorities. Jeremy's fellow EMS friends answered the call and found him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
"It was such a freak accident. It's just unbelievable. We're all still in shock," the chief said Friday. "Jeremy had only been with our service for about three months. He moved here because he was engaged to a girl in our town."
Hours before the fatal fall, Jeremy and his fiancé had picked out a tux for their ring bearer and dresses for the flower girls, the chief said.
The out-pouring of support from other EMS providers, firefighters, police officers and the public has helped ease the pain. "We're all taken back by the response we've received," Chief Chandler said, adding that even radio commentator Paul Harvey mentioned the tragic incident.
On Thursday as the funeral procession of EMS, fire trucks and police vehicles made its way toward the cemetery, they were joined by a PHI Air Medical helicopter that hovered overhead.
"It was phenomenal. What they did was incredible," the chief said, adding that the helicopter's presence was a special salute.
