Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating the fatal crash that killed a Wayne County firefighter on April 18.
Lt. Paul Mickolick, 43, with Town and Country Fire District was struck and killed while assisting a driver stuck in a ditch.
"Paul had a love for the job. He had a love for helping people. He was a phenomenal paramedic and an amazing teacher," said Adam Hory, chief of the Town and Country Fire District, during a press conference Thursday outside the fire station in West Salem, Ohio. "He made everyone around him better. I'm sure we can line the streets with people who are still alive today, because Paul was there for their emergency."
At 10:39 pm the night of the accident, OSHP's Wooster County Patrol Post received a report of a 2011 Ford F-150 in a ditch on Stratton Road, just south of Jeffrey Road, in Congress Township, said Lt. Cristian Perrin, commander of OHSP's Wooster Post. Tylor James Green, 33 of West Salem, was driving the truck east out of a field when he got stuck in the ditch.
Mickolick responded to the scene from his home in West Salem, according to Perrin. Shortly after arriving, a 2006 Cadillac CTS operated by a 64-year-old West Salem man traveling southbound on Stratton Road drove into the ditch, striking the F-150.
"Mr. Green and Lt. Mickolick were struck as a result of that crash," he said, adding that both men were outside of their vehicles.
The driver was uninjured, Perrin said. Life flight was requested at 10:55 pm for Mickolick and Green, who were transported to Cleveland Clinic Lodi Hospital, where Mickolick died.
"Lt. Mickolick was a five-year member of our department," according to Hory. "He began his career as a volunteer in 2020 and was hired in full-time as a firefighter paramedic in June of 2022."
Mickolick is survived by his wife of 15 years, Rachel Mickolick, his kids, Connor and Elise Mickolick, his father, Charles Mickolick, and his brother, Tanner Escobar, Hory said.
"Paul was a huge Dave Matthews [Band] fan. He was so excited to announce he made it to his 50th concert this past year," Hory said. "I'm pretty sure he did two concerts in the same weekend in different cities."
This is the second Town and Country firefighter to die in the line of duty in the past three years. Lt. Philip Wigal was struck and killed by a semitruck in 2022 while responding to a crash on I-71 near West Salem.
"It's a terrible loss for us. It's two firemen that we've lost — two fathers that aren't coming home," Hory said, holding back tears. "I just ask that drivers be mindful. Move over, slow down and pay attention, please."
Mickolick was the second Ohio firefighter to die in the line of duty last week. Tri-Community Joint Fire Department firefighter John Saunders, 41, of Greenwich, died while battling a house fire in Huron County on April 16.
The crash is still under investigation and will be forwarded to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office upon completion, Perrin said.
