Northwest Missouri firefighter dies in skydiving accident

TRENTON, Mo. – A northwest Missouri community is mourning the loss of a veteran firefighter in a skydiving accident.

Authorities say Lt. Eric Lorenz, a firefighter for more than a decade in Trenton, died Saturday when his parachute malfunctioned while he was skydiving near Lexington. The accident is under investigation.

The St. Joseph News-Press reports Lorenz, 30, was the father of a 3-year-old girl and 1-year-old son.

Fire Chief Rick Morris called Lorenz one of the best firefighters he had ever met. He says Lorenz was the department’s training officer and could have worked at much larger departments but wanted to stay at home.

He says he thought Lorenz would one day become chief of the Trenton department.

Funeral arrangements have not been completed.

This story was originally published August 3, 2015 at 9:49 AM with the headline "Northwest Missouri firefighter dies in skydiving accident."