Off-duty Irving firefighter dies in motorcycle crash, department says

Joshua Brandes served for 13 years with the Irving Fire Department and was also a reserve police officer in Decatur

Joshua Brandes, an equipment operator and paramedic with the Irving Fire Department and a reserve police officer with the Decatur police department, died in a motorcycle crash Tuesday while off duty near Springtown, the fire department says.

The fire department said Springtown police officers initially responded to a major crash with severe injuries reported on Farm-to-Market Road 51 South near Browder Road.

According to eyewitnesses, an 18-wheeler stopped to wait for passing traffic before turning left onto Lynch Bend Road. Several vehicles, including a truck hauling a trailer, were stopped behind the semi.

Witnesses said that as a motorcycle rider approached a stopped line of cars, he looked down and apparently did not notice the stopped vehicles.

At the last second, the rider tried to avoid colliding with the back of the trailer and swerved to the left, hitting and severely injuring his leg on the back of the trailer. The rider then entered oncoming traffic, where a Cadillac hit him head-on.

Eyewitnesses said a shed on the trailer hauled by the truck blocked oncoming traffic's view of the motorcycle, leaving no time to avoid the crash.

The rider was identified as Brandes, a longtime first responder with the Irving Fire Department and the Decatur Police Department. Authorities said first responders applied a tourniquet to Brandes' injured leg and began CPR before he died from his injuries.

"Our hearts remain heavy for his loved ones as well as those he served beside at both the Irving Fire Department and the Decatur Police Department as they mourn the shocking loss of one of their own,” said Springtown City Administrator and Director of Public Safety David Miller.

Members of the Irving Fire Department Honor Guard are guarding Brandes' body until the burial.

"FEO Brandes selflessly served the City of Irving for over 13 years and will be missed by all. Please keep his family and the members of this department in your thoughts and prayers as they grieve his loss. Rest in peace, brother," read a statement released by the fire department.

The other drivers' identities and medical status' have not been released.

A cross-county investigation led by the Springtown Police Department is ongoing.