Moselle Volunteer Fire Department Chief B. J. Robinson was among the first emergency personnel to respond to the dispatch of a two-vehicle accident on Highway 11, South near Moselle Thursday.

Like most small towns, everybody knows everybody else and Robinson and the other firefighters accompanying him knew there was a chance the victims could be a neighbor or friend. Never did he think he would reach the accident scene and find his sister-in-law, Denecea “Denise” Dement, to be one of the victims. Never did he think she would be pronounced dead at the scene.

“When I got there and saw the car, I had a funny feeling,” said Robinson. “The car looked like their car and when I saw the firefighter tag on the vehicle it was tough to handle.

“I stood there hoping, praying that it wasn’t her. Hoping and praying.”

Then the inevitable happen. The victim was identified as the sister-in-law he and others lovingly called “Denise,” who along with her husband, David, were also volunteer firefighters. The couple has four adult children.

“It’s always sad when someone is hurt or killed in an accident,” said Jones County Fire Coordinator Dan McKenna. “But one of the saddest things about this one is that the victim’s brother, Ricky McCraney, and her brother-in-law, the chief, were among the first responders.

“Unfortunately this is the second time in two years that they have responded to an automobile accident only to find out one of their own involved. This is a tough time for those firefighters.”

Robinson admits that the family, as well as the firefighters, are taking her death rather hard. “We are doing as well as can be expected,” he said. “We have to lean on each other in a time like this.”

He added that the community has been supportive. Also grief counseling is provided for those who need it.

“We’re taking it all one day at a time,” continued Robinson. “We want everybody to remember us in their prayers.”

The investigation into the cause of the accident is ongoing. There were three victims in the other vehicle, two females and a male. Two were transported to Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg and one to South Central Regional Medical. Their names and conditions have not been not released.

According to Robinson, visitation hours for Denecea “Denise” Dement are from 3:30 to 8 p.m. today at Unity Baptist Church on Highway 11, South. The funeral is 3 p.m. Sunday.