BURKE COUNTY, N.C. — Family members of a fallen firefighter and transportation officials joined together on Thursday to name a bridge in the first responder's honor.
The bridge on Drexel Road over I-40 in Burke County will now be known as the "Fighter Jason K Hensley Bridge." Hensley was killed while cleaning storm debris in October 2017 as a volunteer member of the Triple Community Fire Department.
"There’s not a day that goes by that we don’t think about him,” Triple Community Fire Chief Joshua Smith said. “He was the definition of a true volunteer firefighter and family man."
Hensley was struck and killed by a drunk driver on U.S. 70 on Oct. 8, 2017. He had only been with the department for half a year but had already logged over 200 hours of training, according to a release.
Randall Stewart was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter after the crash. He was sentenced to two to three years in prison and was released in 2020.
The North Carolina Board of Transportation passed a resolution in December 2023 to dedicate the bridge in Hensley's honor.
Hensley is survived by his wife and two sons.
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