NewsNet5/WEWS-TV
A police officer in Stark County has died after being struck by an SUV in Uniontown Tuesday morning.
The incident happened around 8 a.m. on state Route 619, at the intersection of Edison Street NW and Kaufman Avenue NW.
During a news conference near the scene, police said Capt. Daniel Stiles of the Uniontown Police Departmentwas wearing a reflective vest when he was hit by a 2004 Ford Explorer driven by a woman from Uniontown.
Capt. Stiles was transported to Akron City Hospital, where he died at 10:40 a.m., according to a Gary Guenther, Investigator Supervisor for the Summit County Medical Examiner's Office. He was 46 years old.
He leaves behind a wife and two children, who are both in grade school.
Investigators said the driver of the SUV told police she was going to the nearby high school to pick someone up, and didn't realize she hit the officer until impact.
Our crews at the scene said the sun was very bright in the area -- and police are looking to see if sun glare was a factor in the incident. Police said that the intersection gets backed up in the mornings, between 7:45-8 a.m., with sun glare being a key reason.
Police questioned the driver of the SUV, who they said was cooperative. No charges have been filed at this time, and NewsNet5.com is not releasing her name because she has not been charged with a crime.
Investigators said that they will remove a "black box" from the vehicle involved in the crash, which will provide details about how fast the SUV was traveling at the time.
Capt. Stiles has been with the Uniontown Police Department for two years. Prior to working in Uniontown, he worked for at least 15 years at the nearby Hartville Police Department. He was the 2010 Officer of the Year in Uniontown, and was brought to the department to become the new chief of police.
Capt. Stiles graduated from Hudson High School, and was a superb athlete. He still played golf and baseball.
The road where the accident occurred re-opened just before noon.
This crash in the sixth fatal crash the Ohio State Highway Patrol has investigated in Stark County this year, with the eighth fatality. During this time last year, there was only one fatal crash in the area.
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