Car show benefits firefighter Mike King after injury on the job
Family, friends and even former business competitors turned out Saturday, May 23, to Butler Autoworks for a car show benefiting the Oakland Township/Oneida Valley volunteer firefighter who was struck by a vehicle on a call.
“The fire service is a family,” said Logan Wells, of Middlesex Township Volunteer Fire Company and Butler Ambulance Service as he gifted a $600 check to the firefighter who was injured, Mike King.
King was struck by a vehicle March 13 while responding to a call for a fallen tree blocking a lane on Oneida Valley Road. He said that while he was cutting the tree blocking traffic, a second tree broke and struck him in the back, pushing him into the road.
“They didn’t know I was under their car, and they were afraid of getting crushed by another tree, and that’s when they drove away and drug me down the road,” King said.
He said he was briefly dragged down the road before he went under one of the vehicle’s rear tires, causing serious injuries.
King sustained broken bones in his face that required 10 plates to stabilize, all his ribs were crushed, both lungs had collapsed, one shoulder was broken in two places and the other was separated, he said. He required six chest tubes at the scene to get him breathing again.
“He’s a miracle boy,” said King’s father, Jim King Sr., who drove about three hours from central Ohio to attend the benefit. “He’s loved by everybody.”
Almost all of Mike King’s immediate family attended, but he considered almost everyone there family through the fire service. Members from the Middlesex Township and Unionville volunteer fire companies brought fire engines to show support.
Now, Mike King goes to physical therapy twice a week and tries to keep busy at home to regain his strength. He plans to rejoin the fire service when he’s able.
“When you get thrown off the horse, you don’t walk away from it,” he said. “You get right back on.”
Nate Crytzer, the owner of auto repair shop Big Country’s Off-Road, said the event didn’t start out as a car show benefiting Mike King. It started as an independent car show to benefit his small business and Butler Autoworks.
Crytzer and Butler Autoworks’ owner, Brandon Michael, began discussing it in the winter when business was slower. Then when Mike King’s incident occurred, the small business owners put their profits aside to raise money for his family.
“I know it was really bad, but nobody really knows even how bad he was,” Crytzer said about Mike King’s condition after the incident.
“To see him walking around, praise the Lord, man,” Crytzer said.
He said Michael then arranged to have the car show at Butler Autoworks.
Crytzer said he was surprised to see how the event took off after being shared to Facebook. He said between his business page and various group pages he’s in, it was shared at least 107 times, including 60 times within the first four hours of posting.
“That was my most shared post,” he said.
Crytzer also handmade six trophies out of recycled car parts to hand out as part of the car show. Shirts were also sold with a special logo partially designed by Mike King.
The benefit also helped Crytzer get exposure for his business, which is moving to a new location off Herman Road in the first week of June.
