A former Pickens County 911 director who spent decades helping people during emergencies has died after a riding lawn mower went over a cliff edge and landed on top of him, according to a report from WYFF News 4.
Peyton Furtado reported that Richard Crowe, 68, was found dead at the bottom of an estimated 15- to 20-foot cliff on Belle Shoals Road in Pickens County, South Carolina. The crash happened around 9 p.m. Tuesday, June 23, while Crowe was mowing his lawn.
The Pickens County Coroner’s Office said Crowe had recently retired from public service, ending a long career that included leading the county’s E-911 communications center and working as an EMT.
The case has drawn attention not only because of the unusual and tragic accident, but because Crowe was widely known in the area as someone who had spent much of his life answering calls for help and making sure others could get assistance when they needed it most.
A Lawn Mower Crash Near His Home
According to Furtado’s report for WYFF News 4, Crowe was operating a riding lawn mower when it went over a steep cliff edge near his property.
The coroner’s office said the mower fell about 15 to 20 feet and landed on Crowe. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officials had not yet determined whether Crowe suffered a medical emergency before the crash, Furtado reported. An autopsy was scheduled as part of the investigation into what caused the mower to leave the edge.
The tragedy marked the third lawn mower-related death reported in South Carolina’s Upstate region within only a few weeks, and the second in Pickens County during that period.
Riding mowers are often treated like ordinary yard tools, especially by people who have used them for years. But cases like this are a hard reminder that uneven ground, slopes, drop-offs, and a few seconds of lost control can turn routine work into a deadly situation.
A Career Built Around Emergency Calls
Crowe was not just another longtime resident of Pickens County. Furtado reported that he had served as the director of Pickens County E-911 for years and helped build much of the county’s emergency communications system from the ground up.
The Pickens County Coroner’s Office described him as a “well-known and loved individual” who had always been known as a public servant at heart.
Before and during his work in communications, Crowe also worked as an EMT. People who knew him told WYFF News 4 that he had a reputation for showing up whenever help was needed, no matter the hour or circumstance.
Pickens County Coroner Andrew Wilson said Crowe was the type of person who never ignored a need.
“Anytime something needed to be done, it didn’t matter if it was there or not. He was there,” Wilson said in Furtado’s report.
That kind of reputation carries real weight in a small community. Emergency systems depend on equipment and policies, but they also depend on people willing to take responsibility when things go wrong, especially on nights when few others are available.
Coworkers Remember His Commitment
Megan Lowry, a former coworker and close friend, told Furtado that Crowe’s dedication went far beyond his job title.
She recalled a time when Crowe was working on an ambulance crew and was dispatched to a call that was barely over the Greenville County line. Lowry said Crowe could see the emergency scene and decided to respond anyway because he could not leave people without help when he was already nearby.
“He got written up one time because he worked on an ambulance, and they got sent to a call and it was barely over the Greenville County line, but he could see it,” Lowry said. “So, he went to it anyway because he said he couldn’t leave those people without help while he was right there.”
The story says a great deal about how Crowe was viewed by the people around him. It was not simply that he worked in emergency services; it was that he seemed to carry the responsibility of that work with him even when it was inconvenient, outside his assigned area, or beyond what was expected.
Lowry also said Crowe would work through stormy nights to keep 911 lines running.
“It would be storming in the middle of the night, and that man would be working all night long to keep 911 lines running,” she said.
A Familiar Voice In Pickens County
Furtado reported that Lowry and Crowe became close over the years, describing their relationship as almost family-like.
Lowry said Crowe often referred to her as his granddaughter. She said that when he called, he would end their conversations by saying, “Love you, baby.”
For Lowry, the loss was deeply personal.
“I just can’t believe I’m never going to hear that again,” she said in the WYFF News 4 report.
The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office also shared condolences after Crowe’s death, saying its deputies and communications specialists had worked alongside him for more than two decades.
The sheriff’s office said Crowe was respected for his positive attitude and for his willingness to assist employees whenever he was needed. That kind of praise is common after a longtime public servant dies, but in Crowe’s case it came with specific stories from people who had worked beside him during difficult calls, storms, and emergencies.
A Legacy Beyond One Job Title
Crowe retired from Pickens County in 2024, according to the coroner’s office. But the people interviewed by Furtado made clear that retirement did not erase the role he had played in the county for years.
Lowry said there were 911 calls that might never have come through without Crowe’s efforts to build and maintain the communications system.
“If it wasn’t for Richard, there’s 911 calls that never would have came through,” she said. “You would just be calling. It would never get there.”
It is difficult to measure a legacy like that. A working 911 line is invisible when everything is normal, and most people never think about the people who keep those systems alive until the moment they need help.
Crowe’s work sat behind many of the most important moments in other people’s lives: medical emergencies, fires, crashes, storms, and calls from people who may not have known where else to turn. That is why the reaction to his death has been so strong across Pickens County.
Family Thanks The Community
Furtado said Crowe’s family was too devastated to speak at length about the loss, but they thanked the community for its support and condolences.
The coroner’s office continued to investigate whether a medical condition played any role before the mower went over the cliff. No further details were provided in the report.
Crowe’s death was sudden and deeply upsetting for those who knew him, especially because it happened during an ordinary task at home. Yet the stories shared after his death focused less on the final accident and more on the years he spent helping strangers, coworkers, and residents across Pickens County.
For a man who worked behind the scenes to make sure calls for help reached the right people, that may be the clearest measure of his life: when the community looked back, it remembered someone who answered.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, John developed a love for the great outdoors early on. With years of experience as a wilderness guide, he’s navigated rugged terrains and unpredictable weather patterns. John is also an avid hunter and fisherman who believes in sustainable living. His focus on practical survival skills, from building shelters to purifying water, reflects his passion for preparedness. When he’s not out in the wild, you can find him sharing his knowledge through writing, hoping to inspire others to embrace self-reliance.
