Off-duty firefighter dies in kayak accident By Greg Grisolano, Joplin (MO) Globe ggrisolano@joplinglobe.com Published March 22, 2008 10:39 pm CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — An off-duty firefighter died at a local hospital on Saturday after authorities found him trapped in a submerged kayak on Center Creek, according to a release from the Carl Junction Fire Department. Marion Cox Jr., 51, of Carl Junction, had been out kayaking with his son in the creek when his craft apparently capsized at about 1 p.m. His son was not injured. “He’d been on our department for quite some time,” Deputy Fire Chief Darrell Donham said. “It’ll be hard for several of our guys for several days. We’re just trying to take everything hour by hour.” The victim was transported by air ambulance to Freeman Hospital West in Joplin, where he later was pronounced dead. According to the release, Cox was a member of the Carl Junction and Joplin fire departments, and METS Ambulance.