Firefighters Spend Hundreds Of Hours Looking For Bridge Jumper
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For almost two weeks, emergency workers in Hardin County have searched for a man’s body in the waters of the Tennessee River. He is believed to have jumped from the bridge, but no matter the circumstances, members of the Hardin County Fire department said they will not stop looking, even though the costs are rising. Officials told 7 Eyewitness News they have spent hundreds of hours and dollars searching for the man, but said it is worth it to bring his family closure. Since Gregory Willoughby, 49, is believed to have jumped to his death, the fire department has been out on the water every day searching for his body. “The first three days we did an extensive search with the dragging operations, and then every day after that we go out a couple hours every day with our boats and also our sonar and look along the bank and just look anywhere that he could possibly refloat,” Fire Chief Melvin Martin said. And since, they have spent between 500 to 600 hours on the search, costing the fire department $500 to $600 for fuel and other costs. “It’s not a large amount, but it does take some funding for fuel,” Martin said. For each search, officials go out three to four miles on the river, and refuel after each trip. It does not cost them more because most of the firefighters doing the searching are volunteers, but they do have to pay for employees to help search sometimes. Martin said he is grateful for the volunteers’ help. “We still do our day-to-day operations so it takes some time, but we’re able to get our day-to-day operations done and put in some effort on that part,” he said. And officials said they will not stop searching until they find the body and help the family get closure. Martin said there is no way to know how long it could take them to find the body, but the cold temperatures do not help. Three years ago it took them 41 days to find another person who jumped off a bridge.
