OKC Firefighter Battling Parkinson's Dies In Accident

An Oklahoma City firefighter was killed in a rollover crash in southwest OKC Sunday morning.

Firefighter Joshua Kidd, 31, was headed home to Moore following his shift Sunday morning when he lost control of his truck and rolled it off I-240 near Pennsylvania Avenue. He died at the scene. 

"We were shocked and saddened," said Major Jim Williams with the Oklahoma City Fire Department.

Major Williams was Josh's station officer for four years at two different stations. He said he remembers Josh as an excellent firefighter.

"Josh had a real strong work ethic," he said. "It didn't matter what you were doing, he was involved. He always picked the worst job there and tried to do the best job he could."

A job he continued to do well for the Oklahoma City Fire Department despite being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. In fact, we interviewed Josh about it in 2012.

3/8/2012 Related Story: Local Firefighter Takes On Different Kind Of Fight

"They told me I should find another job that's not so physically challenging," Josh had said. "But this is my life. I feel like this is my calling."

Major Williams says Josh went on to receive a series of procedures to help alleviate some of his symptoms and had just returned to work.

"It looked like that surgery was effective and doing what it was supposed to do, so everybody was real excited for him," Williams said.

But those hopes were crushed by his untimely death, leaving behind a fiancé and one year old son.

"We want his boy to remember him for the good and what he accomplished in life and worked through his troubles, his physical troubles and was still able to do well," he said.

Troopers say speed and wet road conditions were the cause of the crash. According to the accident report, Kidd also wasn't wearing his seatbelt.

2/9/2014 Related Story: Off-Duty OKC Firefighter Killed In South OKC Rollover Identified