Funeral to be held Saturday for Carroll Township firefighter
CARROLL TOWNSHIP - Funeral services for Daniel Lucius will be held Saturday, as community members continue to mourn the Carroll Township firefighter who died in a car crash Thursday.
Lucius will be honored with a firefighter funeral, according to the Carroll Township EMS & Fire Department.
The department said in a statement that Lucius, who was appointed to the department in June 2017, served the community admirably for more than 17 months and will be greatly missed.
Lucius, 33, was certified as a volunteer firefighter in the State of Ohio and had plans to continue his training in the future.
"He is remembered fondly as always willing to learn and to do," the Carroll Township department said in its news release.
Visitation
Visitation for Lucius, an Oak Harbor resident, will be from 2 to 8 p.m. Friday at Oak Harbor High School in the lobby of the auditorium.
The fire department will conclude visitation at 7:45 p.m., as they pay their respects to Lucius and his family.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Saturday in St. Boniface Catholic Church, 215 N. Church St., Oak Harbor.
A fireman's service will be conducted immediately following the Mass in the church.
Lucius was born in Toledo and graduated from Oak Harbor High School and Penta Career Center, and was employed by Riverview Industries of Oak Harbor.
An obituary for Lucius stated that the firefighter died doing what he loved — responding to a call with the Carroll Township Fire and EMS Department.
"Where others may have seen limitations, Dan demonstrated determination," the obituary read.
A life of service
Lucius became a volunteer firefighter accredited by the State of Ohio, a member of the Ottawa County Fair Board and was soon to appear in his first Playmakers performance in Port Clinton.
He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and St. Boniface Catholic Church in Oak Harbor.
Lucius was responding to a call Thursday when his truck ran off the road and into a pond near Wall Street and Toussaint Club Road.
According to an Ottawa County Sheriff's Office report, divers attempted to rescue the firefighter and were able to pull Lucius from the submerged vehicle.
Lucius was taken by ambulance to Magruder Hospital in Port Clinton where he was pronounced dead.
Lucius had called 911 around 10 p.m. Thursday and said he had crashed his vehicle into the water. While rescue personnel were en route to the scene, contact with the caller was lost, the report said.
When rescue units arrived, they found the vehicle fully submerged in a pond on the north side of Wall Street.
After checking to see if the driver had been able to get out of the vehicle, they found no sign of Lucius and a deputy entered the water. He was able to make it to the front of the truck before the cold water began to affect his ability to function and had to exit the pond.
Three Carroll Township firefighters wearing cold water gear entered the pond and were able to find the truck and locate the driver, who was still inside, the report said.
Lucius was pulled from the vehicle and brought to shore, where Carroll Township EMT's began resuscitation efforts.
dacarson@gannett.com
419-334-1046
Twitter: @DanielCarson7