Firefighter, 23, living his childhood dream dies in crash on way to work, SC chief says

Since he was a young boy, Tyler Warfield had dreams of becoming a firefighter, friends say.

Those dreams were cut short Wednesday when Warfield, 23, died in a crash on his way to work at the firehouse in Reidville, South Carolina.

Warfield was traveling north on Silver Lake Road at around 8:45 a.m. when he collided with a Ford pick-up truck headed southbound before turning east onto Dillard Road, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

He was thrown from his 2006 Suzuki bike and died at the scene, officials said.

“You know, it’s hard on us all,” Reidville Area Fire Department Chief Patrick Evatt told WSPA-TV. “It’s hard when it’s somebody else, but it’s even harder when it’s one of your own.”

Warfield worked at the Reidville station part-time and was a full-time firefighter with Clear Spring Fire Rescue in nearby Simpsonville, according to both departments. He had just wrapped up his shift at Clear Spring and was headed to Reidville when the crash occurred.

“Awesome guy,” Evatt said of Warfield, according to WSPA-TV. “Came in every morning [with a] smile on his face, happy to be here.”

He was a junior firefighter with the Mauldin Fire Department before landing jobs at both the Clear Spring and Reidville stations, where he had worked for three years, officials said.

Clear Spring fire officials said they were “shaken by news” of Warfield’s death.

“Tyler had wanted to be a firefighter since he was very young,” the department wrote on Facebook. “[His] loss will be felt by many, as he impacted a great many people’s lives.”

Police said Warfield was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. The 29-year-old driver of the Ford truck wasn’t injured.

The crash remains under investigation.