A Thursday afternoon crash along Florida State Road 89 resulted in the death of a Flomaton man.
Nathan L. Berry, 22, of Flomaton was killed when the 2001 Yamaha motorcycle he was driving collided with a farm tractor driven by Brewton resident, Grady Lynn Faris, who was not injured in the crash.
In a separate incident, Brewton resident April Denise Jackson was killed in a wreck in Montgomery early Friday morning, troopers reported.
Escambia County Emergency Management Director David Adams said he had known Berry since he volunteered with Friendship Volunteer Fire Department.
“He started his career as a junior fireman with Friendship,” Adams said. “When he turned 18 he wanted to expand his knowledge and got on at Century Fire Department. While he was there, he became a certified firefighter.”
Adams said Berry’s ability to handle emergency situations made him a natural in the field.
“He took to firefighting and other emergency response like a duck to water,” Adams said. “He was just a natural at it. I have seen very few his age that had his kind of ability. He pursued and got his EMT and paramedic certification and worked in Atmore for a while. He had moved on and was a paramedic supervisor with Lifeguard Ambulance that serves Santa Rosa County.”
Adams said Berry’s demeanor and compassion made his career choice one that would benefit the public.
“He had a manner and compassion that made him really good at what he did,” Adams said. “He really knew what he was doing and was an exception in the business. He was in a position to save many lives in his career. He will certainly be missed.”
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, both vehicles were traveling north on SR 89 just north of Pineview Church Road.
Troopers reported Faris’s vehicle was a tractor with a mower attached and was traveling close to the grass median on the paved portion of the east side right-of-way. Troopers said the over-width tractor’s left wheel was traveling near the center of the northbound travel lane.
Berry’s motorcycle was also traveling close to the center of the travel lane and struck the left rear of the tractor’s implement.
Berry was flown by Airheart transport to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, Fla., where he died from injuries sustained in the accident.
On Friday, Alabama State Troopers reported a crash near Montgomery that claimed the life of a Brewton woman.
April Denise Jackson, 22, was killed when the 2005 Nissan Altima she was driving left the roadway and overturned. The crash occurred around 3 a.m. less than four miles south of Montgomery on Mt. Zion Road.
Jackson was transported to Baptist Medical Center South where she was pronounced dead.
Preliminary reports indicate alcohol may have been a factor in the crash, officers said.