By Liz Monteiro
The Record
WILMOT TOWNSHIP, Ontario — Tom Walker thought of others before himself. It was how the 53-year-old New Dundee man lived his life, and it was how he died.
Today, Walker is being hailed as a Good Samaritan who was just trying to lend a hand when he was struck and killed on a Wilmot Township road over the weekend.
Walker and his wife, Linda Barton, were enjoying a warm Sunday morning when they heard a loud bang metres from their home on Huron Road, just east of Queen Street.
The couple ran outside to a car that appeared mangled and twisted around a large tree. They called 911.
Inside the car, a Volkswagen Passat, was a 19-year-old Kitchener man. He appeared seriously injured but was conscious. He asked Walker for a Kleenex.
Barton stayed with the injured man while her husband went to the house to get some tissues. It was about 7:30 a.m.
Meanwhile, a 23-year-old volunteer firefighter from the New Dundee area had heard about the crash and was rushing to the scene to help.
But as Walker made his way back to the injured driver, the firefighter’s speeding Grand Prix crested the hill and hit Walker on the side of the road.
With his wife watching, he was thrown into the air and landed near a fire truck. He died at the scene.
Walker, a manager with Bell Canada and the father of two grown sons, had lived on Huron Road for about four years.
At the site of the crash yesterday, his brother-in-law, John Barton, hammered a wooden cross into the ground.
John Barton’s three young children placed fresh-cut flowers at the cross.
Barton, who lives in Ottawa, described Walker as someone who was always conscious of others.
“He was always helping someone in need,” he said. “There are not too many people left like him.’'
To make sure people visiting his home were safe, Walker built a turnaround in the driveway. Visitors were asked to enter one way and exit another, so they could see traffic approaching the hill.
“He was always concerned with this road,” Barton said. “It’s very dangerous.”
Sgt. Fred Gregory of the traffic branch of Waterloo regional police said speed was a factor in both collisions.
Alcohol played a role in the first one, he said.
The crashes are still under investigation and no charges have been laid.
Police said the 19-year-old Volkswagen driver was heading east on Huron Road when his car veered onto the shoulder and he lost control of the car.
In an attempt to get the car back on the road, the driver swerved and smashed into the tree.
About 10 firefighters who arrived on the scene after the first crash watched as their colleague hit Walker.
The young volunteer firefighter had tried to brake but lost control of his car.
Chief John Ritz of the Wilmot Township Fire Department said the firefighters are having a hard time coping. On Sunday afternoon, they got some help from the Kitchener Fire Department’s critical incident team, Ritz said.
“I’ve got to commend my men for their actions, to have seen something like that occur, but they carried on and stayed focused,” he said. “They showed a great deal of professionalism.’'
The driver of the Volkswagen was airlifted to Hamilton General Hospital, where he remains. Police said his injuries were not life-threatening.
Sgt. Fred Gregory said speed continues to be a significant factor in highway crashes in Waterloo Region.
“We go over this every long weekend,’' he said. “People need to slow down and pay attention.’'
Huron Road was closed 11 hours on Sunday while traffic and forensic identification officers tried to reconstruct the crashes.
Walker is survived by his wife and two sons, Jordan Walker, 21, and Brodie Walker, 19.
A graveside service will be held at Pardoville Cemetery in Chatham-Kent on Thursday at 2 p.m.
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