Midstate driver with 2 DUI convictions killed in double-fatal crash
The scene just after Saturday’s fatal crash in Newberry Township. The striking vehicle is in the foreground, while the vehicle that was struck is in the background.(Photo: Newberry Township Police)
(York Haven) –Examining the scene after a crash Saturday afternoon that left two dead, police found open bottles and cans of alcohol, both inside and outside one of the vehicles, Newberry Township Police Chief John Snyder said.
That vehicle, an SUV driven and solely occupied by Fairview Township resident Anthony W. Fickes, 46, swerved into the opposing lane on Old Trail Road, striking another SUV nearly head-on, Snyder said.
“We believe there was impairment” involved in the crash, Snyder said Sunday.
Fickes, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from his vehicle and died at the scene, according to York County Coroner Pam Gay.
A passenger in the vehicle that was struck, Edna Mikos, 66, of York Haven, was entrapped and also died at the scene. She too, was not wearing a seat belt, Gay said.
Mikos’ and Fickes’ deaths were ruled accidental, caused by multiple blunt force trauma, Gay said.
Fickes pleaded guilty to DUI in 2006 and in 2010 in York County Court of Common Pleas, following arrests by Fairview Township Police, according to online court dockets.
The York County Coroner’s Office has released the names of the two people killed in a Newberry Township crash on Saturday night. Ted Czech, York Daily Record
On Sunday afternoon, Snyder published a post on the department’s Facebook page, urging state politicians to enact tougher DUI laws.
“When I see innocent people injured or killed because of impaired drivers, I ask myself each time, why do Pennsylvanians tolerate this? Why do our politicians in Harrisburg keep looking the other way?” he wrote. “The bodies are piling up and all we as police officers can do is keep fighting the fight on impaired driving enforcement. We need tougher DUI laws.”
Mikos’ husband, Wayne Mikos, 69, along with a 13-year-old and a 14-year-old, were taken to York Hospital by ambulance, all seriously injured, police said. Wayne Mikos was driving the struck vehicle.
A 5-year-old child was flown to Hershey Medical Center with serious injuries.
Snyder said that just prior to the crash, the Mikos’ vehicle was traveling north on Old Trail Road, while Fickes was headed south on the same road.
“There was evidence to indicate that Mr. Fickes’ vehicle left the southbound lane and entered the northbound lane,” Snyder said. “Witnesses from the crash that were inside the Mikos’ vehicle told officers the vehicle driven by Fickes had lost control and swerved into their vehicle.”
The Mikos’ vehicle ended up on its side in a property along the east side of the northbound lane of the road, while Fickes’ vehicle remained in the northbound lane, Snyder said.
Police found evidence that just before the crash, the passenger side of Fickes’ SUV struck the berm on the west side of the southbound lane, which caused it to go out of control, according to Snyder.
A nurse stopped and was administering CPR to Fickes when police arrived, Snyder said.
The accident is still under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Newberry Township Police at 717-938-2608.
To help
A Go Fund Me page has been set up to help the Mikos family. The money will go towards helping family members travel between two hospitals and to pay for funeral expenses.
This story is part of a partnership between WITF and the York Daily Record.
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