Not forgotten Bridge monument dedicated, tragedy recalled
SLIPPERY ROCK TWP., Lawrence Co. — Grown men, hardened by years and decades of experience in emergency services, failed at choking back their tears on Sunday as the bridge where two of their brothers died in 2001 was rededicated in the heroes' honor.
The Harris Bridge on Mountville Road, located a few miles west of Portersville, was the sight of the tragedy 18 years before, when Unionville Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief Tony Murdick and firefighter/paramedic Scott Wilson, both age 25, perished in the swift waters of Slippery Rock Creek.
The two men were trying to recover the body of kayaker Neil Balcer, 23, of Marion Township, who had flipped his kayak and become stuck underwater.
It is believed that the rope Wilson and Murdick tied between themselves had become caught on something underwater and they were unable to surface.
Both men had infant sons at the time, and those sons — now young men — attended the dedication of the large stone monument that will record in perpetuity the ultimate sacrifice paid by Wilson and Murdick in the creek.
The student trumpet players each played a chorus of taps from either end of the Harris Bridge, and family members were given white roses to place on the monument before it was unveiled.
“These two gentlemen, Tony and Scott, when the alarm bell went off, they answered,” said a shaken Craig. “They didn't hesitate to cross the county line and come help us here in Lawrence County, and for that we are forever grateful.”
One of the somber event's moving speeches came from Mark Lauer, who was the Unionville VFD chief at the time of the tragedy.
“It started out like any normal day,” Lauer said as he kept one hand on the monument to his friends. “We were called over to help Lawrence County out and things went awry.”
He said the men entered the water just upstream from the monument, although they knew Balcer had not survived.
Cole Wilson and Talan Murdick, who attended the ceremony with his grandparents, listened in grief as Lauer said rescue crews did everything they could to save their fathers.
“I want Talan and Cole to know that out of tragedy, I think we've turned triumph,” Lauer said. “We have amassed some of the best water rescue technicians in the state.”
He said swift-water rescue is the most dangerous job for emergency personnel, and the loss of Wilson and Murdick sparked a massive, years-long movement to improve training and techniques in such situations.
“We have worked hard to make sure this never happens again,” Lauer said, his voice cracking. “I vowed I would never come here to another death.”
He said his wife helped him navigate the horrific effects that the aftermath of the accident had on him for several years.
“It was a horrible night. I'll never forget it,” Lauer said. “It's one of those things that will eat you alive if you let it, and I did for a while.”
He looked at Ron Murdick, Tony's father and a Unionville firefighter at the time.
“The hardest thing I ever had to do was look at Ron and tell him his son died on my watch,” Lauer said as both men shed tears. “I've finally made peace with it, and it's a hard thing to do.”
He said the most galling aspect of the tragedy is that both Wilson and Murdick were destined to do great things at the fire department. He said both had the schooling, knowledge, charisma and drive to rise quickly through the ranks.
“One of them would probably be fire chief by now,” said current Unionville chief Nathan Wulff, who is too young to remember the men, but was stricken by the ceremony.
Unionville Assistant Chief Mike Pflugh served with the men, and agreed that both were the future of the fire department.
“They were good firemen, dedicated, well-trained and loved to help their community,” Pflugh recalled. “They were also good husbands and fathers and great friends to all of us.”
Tracy Wilson summed up the thoughts of all who attended the dedication.
“I think it's nice that there is going to be a permanent memorial to Scott and Tony,” she said. “It's really important that anyone who is in the area remember what happened here.”
The Lawrence County Commissioners had the monument engraved and installed after the bronze plaque on the former bridge was stolen and the bridge was demolished last year. The new Harris Bridge was completed last year, and Commissioner Steve Craig decided a more suitable monument to Wilson and Murdick should be erected.
“Honestly, it's incredible,” said Cole Wilson, who was 6 months old when his father died. “Even though the old bridge was taken down and rebuilt, they are still putting something back for a permanent reminder of what happened.”Having heard stories about him from his mother, Tracy, and his father's firefighter friends, Cole had an inkling of how his father would have felt about the somber service held on Sunday at the bridge.
“I would think that he would find it a bit unnecessary,” said Cole. “He would think he was just a man doing his job.”The three Lawrence commissioners plus two of their Butler County peers, family members, personnel from all the emergency services agencies called to the scene in 2001, a PennDOT representative, the Lawrence County director of emergency operations, two DCNR rangers, two Boy Scouts and two trumpet players from Lincoln High School attended the ceremony on the banks of the rushing creek.
Craig led the 40 individuals in the Pledge of Allegiance, and a uniformed member of the Boy Scouts posted Old Glory in a gold stand on the base of the concrete and stone monument.
