A fire lieutenant with the Town & Country (OH) Fire District has passed away after he was struck while operating at the scene of a motor vehicle accident Monday afternoon. A state trooper was also hospitalized after being injured in the incident.
Lieutenant Phil Wigal, 35, was struck and killed while investigating a traffic crash on Interstate 71, according to reports. The Akron Beacon Journal reported that the trooper, Steven B. Hill, 37, sustained nonlife-threatening injuries.
Troopers and firefighters were investigating a crash scene after 3 p.m. Monday when a commercial vehicle struck a fire truck, Highway Patrol cruiser, and the vehicle involved in the original crash.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration notification, on Monday, April 11, 2022, Lieutenant Philip M. Wigal responded to the scene of a vehicle accident on I-71 southbound. While at the scene, a trooper was performing an administrative inventory of the crash vehicle while Lieutenant Wigal was completing documentation for their report. At approximately 3:59 p.m., while finishing these tasks, a southbound commercial vehicle struck the left rear of the fire apparatus, the patrol vehicle, and the vehicle involved in the initial crash. Lieutenant Wigal was pronounced deceased at the scene.
RELATED FIREFIGHTER TRAINING
Vehicular Trauma in America and the Fire Service: A Call to Action
Jack Sullivan: Strategies & Tactics for Roadway Incidents
The New Chapter in NFPA 1500-2018: Traffic Incident Management
