Lt. Paul Mickolick, who served as a firefighter and paramedic in Wayne County, died after being struck by a vehicle while helping a stranded driver on the side of a road in Congress Township Friday night.
According to a release from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Mickolick, 43, who worked for the Town and Country Fire District, parked his private vehicle on the roadside to help a 33-year-old West Salem driver who had managed to get his pickup truck stuck in a ditch while exiting a private field onto Stratton Road in West Salem, about 15 miles north of Wooster.
The release said a 64-year old driver approaching southbound on Stratton Road went off the right side of the road, striking the pickup truck and hitting both Mickolick and the pickup truck driver who were standing near the truck.
Mickolick died Saturday at Cleveland Clinic Lodi hospital. The driver of the pickup truck sustained serious injuries and, according to the patrol, was airlifted to Cleveland Clinic Akron General hospital. The release by the patrol did not provide a status on the driver who hit them.
According to a release from the Town and Country Fire District, Mickolick worked with the department for nearly five years and worked 16 years with the Cleveland Clinic as a flight paramedic.
Town and Country Fire District Chief Adam Hory, in a post on the district's Facebook page, described the loss as tremendous.
“Lieutenant Mickolick was a mentor, a brother and a true hero. His passion for the fire service and his deep-rooted dedication to this community will never be forgotten. We will honor his legacy by continuing to serve with the same bravery and compassion he showed every day,” the chief said in the statement.
Funeral arrangements for Mickolick, 43, have not yet been set. The incident remains under investigation.