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Member of search and rescue unit killed in bicycle accident

Theo

CALL CRIME STOPPERS. TWO HAYWOOD COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA OFFICERS SAY A SEARCH AND RESCUE EMPLOYEE HAS DIED AFTER A BICYCLE ACCIDENT. THEY SAY BILL ZIMMERMAN SUFFERED SEVERE BACK INJURIES WHEN A SQUIRREL CAME OUT OF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND INTO HIS BIKE. HE WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL.

Popular member of North Carolina search and rescue team killed in bicycle crash, officials say

Executive Producer for Social Media

A member of a search and rescue team in North Carolina was seriously injured in a bicycle accident and has died, county authorities said. “On Wednesday morning, one of our beloved teammates, Bill Zimmerman, was involved in a bicycle accident in Haywood County,” a social media post from Haywood County Search & Rescue said. Officials said a squirrel ran off the side of the road and hit Zimmerman’s bike, causing the accident. “He suffered catastrophic injuries to his cervical spine and went into cardiac arrest immediately after the accident,” officials said. “He was resuscitated by the friend he was riding with and taken to Mission Hospital. Officials called Zimmerman’s spinal injuries “severe and irreversible.” “His family made the painful decision to remove his life support Thursday evening,” officials said. “Immediately after his death, many of his organs were harvested so he could continue to save lives. “We are confident that Bill would appreciate knowing that his death was not in vain and that he continued his legacy of serving others in this profound way.” They called Zimmerman “bright, smart, humble, kind, honest, considerate, incredibly enterprising and even a little bit mischievous,” the post said. “He was a pillar of our team and also served as the board chair of the WNC Wilderness Safety Fund.” Haywood County Emergency Services posted this on its Facebook page: “For years, the Search and Rescue team worked hand-in-hand with emergency services and Bill was an important part of that partnership. Your generosity, kindness, thoughtfulness and care for others made us all better people. You will be sorely missed, my friend.”

HAYWOOD COUNTY, NC —

A member of a North Carolina county search and rescue team was seriously injured and died in a bicycle accident, county officials said.

“On Wednesday morning, one of our beloved teammates, Bill Zimmerman, was involved in a bicycle accident in Haywood County,” said a social media post from Haywood County Search & Rescue.

Bill Zimmerman

Search and Rescue in Haywood County

Officials said a squirrel ran from the side of the road onto Zimmerman’s bike, causing the accident.

“He suffered catastrophic injuries to his cervical spine and went into cardiac arrest immediately after the accident,” officials said. “He was resuscitated by the friend he was traveling with and taken to Mission Hospital.”

Officials described Zimmerman’s spinal injuries as “severe and irreversible.”

“His family made the painful decision to remove him from life support Thursday evening,” officials said. “Immediately after his death, many of his organs were harvested so he could continue to save lives. We are confident that Bill would appreciate knowing his death was not in vain and that he continued his legacy of serving others in this profound way.”

They called Zimmerman “bright, clever, humble, kind, honest, considerate, incredibly enterprising and even a little bit mischievous,” the post said. “He has been a pillar of our team and has also served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the WNC Wilderness Safety Fund.”

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Haywood County Emergency Services posted this on their Facebook page:

“For years, the Search and Rescue team worked hand in hand with emergency services, and Bill was an important part of that partnership. Your generosity, kindness, thoughtfulness and care for others made us all better people. We miss you very much, my friend.”

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