WEST SALEM, Ohio — A news conference is expected to take place Thursday to update the investigation on the death of Town & Country Lt. Paul Mickolick.
Firefighters said the news conference will take place at the fire district station in West Salem. A spokesperson for the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Town & Country Fire Chief Adam Hory are expected to address the media.
Calling hours for the firefighter will take place at the Church of the Savior in Wooster from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on April 26. Funeral services will be held at the same church at 2 p.m. on April 27.
A full professional will follow to a grave site memorial at the West Salem Cemetery at the corner of S. Lincoln St. and Depot St. in West Salem.
According to troopers, Mickolick, 43, responded in his personal vehicle around 10:40 p.m. last Friday after a call came in about a driver who got his Ford F-150 stuck in a ditch while exiting a private field on Stratton Road in Congress Township.
Investigators said a 2006 Cadillac CTS, driven by a 64-year-old man, drove off the right side of the roadway, went into the ditch, and hit and killed Lt. Mickolick.
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The man, who was getting assistance from Mickolick, was also struck and was flown by helicopter to the Cleveland Clinic Akron General with serious injuries, troopers said.
Lt. Mickolick worked as a flight paramedic with the Cleveland Clinic for 16 years before joining the Town & Country Fire District in 2022. He was married and had two children, according to his obituary.
State troopers said the accident and reconstruction reports are being finalized and will be sent to Wayne County prosecutors to review for possible charges.
Donations for the family can be made out to Rachel Mickolick and either dropped off at the fire station or mailed to P.O. Box 175, West Salem, OH 44287. A GoFundMe page has also been established to assist the family.
The accident marked the second tragedy for the fire district in three years.
In 2022, Lt. Philip Wigal and a state trooper were finishing up paperwork when a semi hit their vehicles. Wigal was killed. The trooper was injured.
