WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO, Ohio — The Ohio State Highway Patrol has announced that a firefighter was killed and a trooper was injured after being struck while assisting a crash scene in Wayne County on Monday.
The initial crash, a single-vehicle minor injury incident, happened on I-71 southbound, just south of SR 301. Troopers and fire crews were dispatched to the scene to assist at around 3:15 p.m..
According to the highway patrol, a trooper was performing an administrative inventory of the crash vehicle prior to it being towed from the scene, while a firefighter from Town & Country Fire District was completing documentation for their report.
At approximately 3:59 p.m., the pair were finishing their tasks when OSHP officials say a southbound commercial motor vehicle struck the left rear of the fire engine at the scene. The commercial vehicle then struck an OSHP cruiser and the vehicle that was involved in the initial crash.
The firefighter and the trooper, both of whom were at the original crash vehicle, were struck. The firefighter, identified as 35-year-old Lt. Philip M. Wigal, was pronounced dead at the scene. Wigal joined Town & Country Fire District in 2006 as a part-time firefighter. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2011 and hired full-time in 2014. The OSHP says Lt. Wigal is survived by his wife and two children.
The trooper has been identified as 37-year-old Steven B. Hill from the OSHP's Ashland Post. He was taken from the scene with non-life threatening injuries.
The driver of the commercial vehicle, 41-year-old Edyt Hernandez of Florida, was taken to an area hospital for minor injuries.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol says the incident remains under investigation.
This is a developing story. Stay with 3News for more details as they become available.
Photos: Firefighter killed, trooper injured after being struck on I-71 in Wayne County (Courtesy: Ashland County Pictures)
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