The Ohio State Highway Patrol is mourning the loss of one of its own after Trooper Nicholas P. Cayton, 40, was struck and killed while assisting a disabled vehicle Thursday morning in Mahoning County.
According to the Patrol, the crash occurred around 11:52 a.m. on State Route 11 northbound, just south of U.S. 224.
Trooper Cayton had responded to reports of a disabled 2024 Kenworth semi tractor-trailer stopped in the right lane.
The driver, Nelson De Jesus Herrera Vasquez, 65, of Florida, told the trooper that his vehicle had struck an object in the roadway.
While Trooper Cayton was seated in his marked cruiser with emergency lights activated, a 2007 Mack Granite truck driven by Ryan Rach, 35, of Canfield, crashed into the back of the cruiser.
The impact forced Cayton’s vehicle into the disabled semi and struck Vasquez, who was standing outside.
Trooper Cayton was pronounced dead at the scene.
Vasquez was life-flighted to a nearby hospital with serious injuries, while Rach was not injured.
Several agencies responded to assist, including the Canfield, Boardman Township, and Ellsworth Fire Departments, the Canfield Police Department, the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office, the Ohio EPA, and the Ohio Department of Transportation.
The crash remains under investigation.
In honor of Trooper Cayton’s service and sacrifice, Governor Mike DeWine ordered flags to be flown at half-staff throughout Mahoning County, as well as at the Ohio Statehouse, the Vern Riffe Center, and the Rhodes State Office Tower.
Flags will remain lowered until sunset on the day of his funeral.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost released a statement following the announcement, saying,
“In service and sacrifice, Trooper Cayton honored the badge and fulfilled his sacred oath to the community. My deepest condolences are with the family, friends, and colleagues of this fallen hero.”
