PEABODY ― The 86-year-old man who died in a two-car collision on Lynn Street Tuesday morning has been identified as retired Peabody firefighter Joe DiFranco Sr.
DiFranco, a Peabody resident, was active in the community; he served as a firefighter for the City of Peabody for more than 30 years, retiring as a lieutenant with the department.
He was highly involved with the city’s fire department union, Peabody Firefighters Local 925, and the state’s union, Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts. DiFranco was also a member of the Peabody Retirement Board at the time of his death.
While police have not released the circumstances that led to the fatal crash, news of DiFranco’s death quickly circulated around the community.
When contacted by The Item, Peabody Fire Chief Joe Daly expressed his condolences and noted the impact DiFranco had as a longtime firefighter in the department.
“He was a staple to this city and contributed a lot to it,” said Daly.
Matt Reddy, president of Lynn Firefighters Local 739, who knew DiFranco, said he was a great man who moved so many generations of firefighters.
DiFranco’s dedication to both the city he served and the fire unions of which he was a member was “unbeatable,” Reddy said, adding that he will be deeply missed.
Both DiFranco’s son and grandson also became firefighters in Peabody and Danvers, respectively.
“Condolences go out to his family,” said Reddy.
At 8:42 a.m. Tuesday, police responded to the two-car crash, which sent one of the vehicles into a home at 35 Lynn St. DiFranco, who was driving one of the vehicles, was taken to Salem Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
The driver of the other vehicle, a 35-year-old man from Danvers, sustained minor injuries and did not seek medical attention. The passengers in the car, a woman and three children were not injured.
The house — which was hit by the vehicle driven by the 35-year-old Danvers man — was deemed safe by a city building inspector. Nobody was in the house at the time of the crash, police said.
The crash remains under investigation by the Massachusetts State Police Reconstruction Unit and Peabody Police Department. Funeral plans for DiFranco have not been announced.
Hannah Chadwick can be reached at [email protected].