Funeral Wednesday for fire captain killed in pileup
HASTINGS – A funeral service will be held Wednesday for a Hastings man who was killed in a collision involving four transport trucks Friday on Highway 401 near Trenton.
Roger Esson, 47, was one of the truck drivers in the crash that occurred in the eastbound lane between Glen Miller and Wallbridge Loyalist Road sometime around 12:15 a.m.
Four tractor-trailers were involved in the collision that happened just after midnight between Glen Miller Road and Wallbridge Loyalist Road, Quinte West OPP said.
One driver also suffered minor injuries, police said. The eastbound lanes of Highway 401 didn’t reopen until late Friday afternoon.
Esson was a captain at Station 2 (Hastings) and had been a member of the Trent Hills Fire Department for more than 18 years.
“He was a quiet leader,” Trent Hills Fire Chief Tim Blake said.
He would arrive at the scene of a fire and quickly move in “and get the job done.”
No matter how long firefighters remained at the scene, “he’d still (have) lots of energy” to deal with any problems that arose, Blake said.
A minute’s silence in his honour was observed at the village’s Canada Day fireworks which he and his wife Michelle were instrumental in organizing.
“They were the leaders of the fireworks year in, year out, as long as I can remember,” Blake said.
Esson is survived by his wife, parents Ron and Marion Esson, of Keene, mother-in-law Cathy Ferguson, of Hastings, brother Derek, of Belleville, brother-inlaw Shawn Ferguson, of Hastings, and grandmother Audrey Davis, of Keene.
The funeral service will take place at the Brett Funeral Chapel in Hastings at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Interment will follow at the Trent Valley Cemetery, Hastings.
The family has asked that memorial donations be made to the Trent Hills Fire Department — Hastings.