A Newton County firefighter/EMT was killed early Friday in a single-vehicle wreck near Covington.

According to the Georgia State Patrol, Bradley M. Eavenson was driving a 2004 Dodge 2500 pickup truck eastbound on U.S. 278 when the truck ran off the roadway near Dixie Road, went down an embankment and struck a rock wall.

Eavenson, 31, of Elberton, was not wearing a seat belt and was partially ejected from the vehicle, a GSP spokesman said, adding that the crash was not weather-related.

Eavenson had been with the Newton County Fire Department since 2007, according to Chief Kevin O’Brien.

“Brad had a passion for teaching others about his skills in the rope and technical rescue arena and was well-respected across the state as an expert in this discipline,” O’Brien said in a press release. “Brad had impacted many members of this organization as he helped mold our deparment into a more professional fire service and his passing will be a major loss for Newton County and the fire service of Georgia.”

Eavenson was a graduate of Elbert County High School and had previously worked as a firefighter and EMT in Barrow County, according to his Facebook page.

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