The victim has been identified as Terri Schall, 36, of Newark. Schall was a 6-year veteran firefighter with Aetna Hose, Hook and Ladder of the Newark Volunteer Fire Department.
"She is going to be greatly missed here, I can tell you that," Chief Brian Hendricks of Aetna Hose, Hook, and Ladder Company said.
According to authorities, Schall was walking her dog on Otts Chapel Road with her niece, who was visiting from out of town, and an 18-year-old probationary firefighter at about 8:45 p.m. Tuesday.
Police say Schall, with her dog, tried to cross the road just south of Elkton Road when both were struck by a Pontiac Parisienne driven by William Partlow, 74, of Newark.
"I didn't see her, maybe she didn't see me, I don't know," Partlow told Action News.
State Police say Schall then landed on the road and was struck by a second car driven by 17-year-old Matthew Reynolds of Elkton, Maryland.
Partlow says he wasn't able to sleep all night since the accident.
"I feel very sad, very sad cause it was just a freak accident," he said.
Schall lived a short distance away and one of the girls with her ran to the home to get her husband, A.J., who is also a firefighter.
Schall was rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. The dog was also killed in the crash.
Firefighters from Aetna answered the 9-1-1 dispatch and discovered one of their own was the victim.
Terri was also an athletic trainer with Middletown High School. The athletic director, Joe Lahutsky, says she worked with teams at the school for four seasons.
"She was not only an educator, but a mentor to all of our younger firefighters," Hendricks said.
While members of the Aetna Hose, Hook and Ladder Company mourn their loss, other fire departments are covering calls for the fire company.
"It's just been an outpouring of support within the fire service," Hendricks said.
The crash remains under investigation.
Terri Schall leaves behind her husband and two sons, ages 2 and 6-years-old.
