Firefighter Who Died In Highway 65 Motorcycle Crash Identified
LINCOLN (CBS13) — South Placer firefighters are mourning the loss of one of their own.
David Volk, 31, died sometime between Thursday night and Friday morning from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.
The California Highway Patrol says Volk, a five-year veteran with the department, was traveling northbound on his 2015 Harley Davidson motorcycle on Highway 65 near the Lincoln Boulevard exit when he most likely hit a guardrail and was thrown off the bike.
"So it wasn't visible from the roadway, which is very unfortunate because we don't know what time this collision happened yet," said Officer David Martinez with CHP.
Fellow firefighters saluted and line the path as Volk's body, draped in the American flag was removed from the scene.
CHP says the accident occurred sometime in the overnight hours, but it wasn't until just before 6 a.m. Friday morning that a passerby noticed the motorcycle on the side of the road.
It's a tragic loss for all who serve in the community.
"That's always tough," Martinez said. "Because you see these individuals at all of these collision scenes and different types of events. We've been working together for years so we tend to see the same people a lot of the times, so yeah, it is hard."
The news also tough for JP Croft who's lived across the street from the South Placer fire station for most of his life and has gotten to know many of the firefighters personally over the years.
"It's sad. Your life is on the line usually when you're fighting a fire and anything can happen. Then to get taken out when you are off duty, that's pretty awful" he said.
The CHP is still piecing together exactly what led up to the crash but do not believe any other vehicles were involved.