JACKSON COUNTY, Ill. (WSIL) -- A family and fire department is mourning the loss of a firefighter who died in a crash Saturday morning while others are recovering.
Zachary Staggs died after crashing a Polaris RZR side-by-side vehicle around 3:45 a.m. in the area of Creekside Lane in rural Desoto according to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office.
Preliminary findings indicate Staggs was traveling east on Creekside Lane when he tried to negotiate a curve and lost control. Investigators believe the vehicle rolled off the road and hit a tree.
Staggs suffered severe injuries was pronounced dead at the scene according to investigators. Three other passengers were transported to hospitals for their injuries.
Staggs' father tells News 3 his son joined the Royalton Fire Department when he was still in high school. Staggs was a lieutenant on the fire department.
Services for Staggs are pending. Zachary Staggs was 21-years old. First responders with the Jackson County Ambulance Service and Carbondale Township Fire Department assisted in the investigation.
