UPDATE: August 26 at 6 p.m.
A Marion County firefighter who was critically injured in a crash while responding to an emergency call has died from his injuries.
Lt. Brian Hatt, 51, died at the University of Louisville Hospital Monday, after his fire truck went off the road and hit an embankment on August 22. Hatt had been a member of the Raywick Fire Department for 12 years and was also a retired U.S. Army veteran.
"Taking this loss right here is not taken lightly. It's just not another first responder, it's just not another person," said Captain Michael Wright with the Southeast Bullitt Fire Department, who worked alongside Hatt.
Hatt was responding to a tractor-trailer fire along with firefighter Leonard Winkler when their tanker truck crashed. Winkler is still recovering at the hospital.
Wright described Hatt as someone who always put others first.
"He always made sure that everyone else had what they needed before him. He was always there to answer the call for everyone else, and make sure everyone else's needs were taken care of before his own," Wright said.
Those who knew Hatt remembered his positive impact on others.
"If he was having a bad day before you left Brian's presence, you always left with a smile," Wright said.
Communities are rallying around Hatt's family and the fire department during this difficult time.
"At this time, we just ask that the communities just continue to pray and lift up this family, the fire department family, the citizens of Raywick, Kentucky, and all those who have been in the presence of Brian in their lifetime," Wright said.
The Raywick Fire Department said they will share arrangements for services and memorials with the public once they are finalized.
Original Story:
The Raywick Fire Department reported that Lieutenant Brian Hatt died on Tuesday morning after he was injured in a single-vehicle apparatus rollover while responding to a tractor-trailer fire. He was 51.
The department added that Lieutenant Hatt died four days after the crash. Another firefighter sustained serious injuries in the crash, however, his injuries were non-life-threatening and he is recovering in the hospital.
Hatt was retired from the U.S. Army and he is survived by his wife and three children.
The nonprofit organization, Supporting Heroes, posted on social media that Hatt was with the department for 12 years.
American Legion Jim Bob Moore Post 49 in Lebanon reported that an ambulance carrying Hatt is set to drive through Lebanon and Loretto on Tuesday evening. The ambulance will reportedly depart Louisville between 7 pm. and 9 p.m.
"Please if you are available, stand outside and pay your respects as they pass through," the post read.
