Lake Milton officer struck by vehicle

Staff report

LAKE MILTON

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating how a Lake Milton officer was struck by a vehicle Wednesday night.

Trooper Brian DePizzo, of the patrol’s Canfield Post, said Cpl. Daniel Barb, a Lake Milton officer, pulled over a vehicle on Newton Falls Road, between Mahoning Avenue and the overpass over Interstate 76, and gave a verbal warning to that driver for having no license-plate lights.

DePizzo said sometime between 7:50 p.m. and 8:15 p.m., Barb was struck in the left side of his body while he was walking back to his patrol car by a northbound vehicle on Newton Falls Road. He had nonlife- threatening injuries to his hip and leg.

“His vehicle was on the right sideline, so he was over as far as he could go, and all of his emergency lights were activated. ... The vehicle was going around his patrol car,” DePizzo said. “That’s one speculation, so we hope that it wasn’t done on purpose.”

He encouraged anyone with information to call the Canfield Post of the OSHP, 330-533-6866, and added that authorities don’t have any leads in the case.

“Whether it’s a police car, firetruck, or a tow truck, [drivers] need to be cognizant of what warrants that vehicle being there — people just need to slow down,” DePizzo said.