A horrible tragedy unfolded in the early morning hours of December 5, 2021 in Hopewell, Pennsylvania. Timothy Baclit, a father of three, stopped his car on an overpass to help a driver who had hit a guardrail, authorities said. Sadly, that one selfless decision, to help another in need, was the one that ended his life.
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The details of what happened are not completely clear just yet, but the 41-year-old somehow fell from the I-376 freeway and died. Now friends and family members are hoping to raise money for the three children he left behind.
Authorities say that it appears Timothy fell about 27 feet from the freeway's overpass. He died from his injuries at the scene, The Beaver County Times reported.
The accident took place just after 1 a.m., and there are still a lot of questions that remain. "All we do know is there was an accident," Scott Baclit, Timothy's father, told WPXI. "Tim and another witness stopped to assist the guy," Scott continued to the outlet. "Tim went around the [backside] of the vehicle to help extract the individual, from what we understand. Stood up on the concrete wall and slipped and fell off the bridge."
He also spoke about the kind of person his son was: "If somebody didn't know Tim, and they met him on the street, they would probably hesitate about talking to the guy. He had the brawn of a grizzly bear, but he had the heart of a lion."
That much is clear from Timothy's dying action. Now the 41-year-old, who was also a veteran, is being remembered as a hero. "Tim's Life was taken by an unexpected tragedy through his selfless acts of kindness," his GoFundMe page reads. "Tim's honorable duties will be remembered as a veteran, a father, a son, a brother, but mostly he will be remembered forever, by everyone as a Hero!"
The fundraiser aims to support the education of his three children, ages 19, 17, and 14. Over $42,000 has already been raised since his tragic death.
Timothy's stepmother, Mary Ellen Baclit, said that his children have been comforted by the fact that their dad "died a hero."
