Man killed by wrong-way truck hours before move
Clintin Churby was known for hard work, helping others, making friends and catching fish. His mother said he “always had a big smile on his face and a fishing pole in his hand.”
“He was a fisherman,” Clintin's mother, Sandi Churby, said.
“He loved to fish day and night. If he wasn't working, he was fishing.”
But hours before Clintin was going to start the next chapter of his life, it was taken away.
“We were supposed to be upset because he was moving,” Sandi Churby said.
“He never made it home,” Clintin's dad, Scott Churby, added.
Clintin Churby, 27, of Lattasburg in Wayne County, died when he was struck by a wrong way driver Wednesday night – the same night he was planning to make the overnight drive to Texas.
Akron police said at about 8:12 p.m., a Chevy Silverado struck Churby's Ford Focus head-on on Interstate 76 West near the central interchange.
Police said a 63-year-old man driving the pickup truck got on the highway the wrong way from the Broadway exit ramp. He continued east until he struck the Focus. Police said alcohol appeared to play a role in the crash.
Sandi Churby said her son was going to leave at 10 that night with his brother to drive to Texas.
Clintin Churby worked at Summit Racing in Tallmadge, and had transferred.
The family was at their home in Lattasburg, texting Clintin to ask where he was. Later, an officer showed up at their door.
“It's not real,” Sandi Churby said. Clintin Churby had a lot of friends in Wayne County and from Medina County, where he grew up before moving when he was in grade school. He also had a lot of friends from Maple Lakes Campgrounds, where the family went for over 25 years.
He worked as a warehouse lead, and was doing one more half-shift before moving. He'd normally not come home until 1 or 2 a.m.
Sandi Churby said most of her son's belongings were already sent to Texas.
She said her son was always trying to help people. He told his younger sister he'd buy her a Nintendo Switch if she got all A's. He told his parents he'd buy them a new floor if they both quit smoking.
Scott Churby said Clintin had just finished carpeting the upstairs. They declined his offer to buy them anything and told him to save his money for Texas.
“He always wanted to help everybody,” Sandi Churby said.
Sandi Churby said Clintin had friends from everywhere. The family had a going-away party for his move not too long ago.
Along with fishing, she said her son was a big fan of singing karaoke. Other than that, his computer and fishing consumed his time, Sandi Churby said.
Sandi and Scott Churby said they still don't know much about what happened.
Police said the driver of the Silverado also was injured and taken to a local hospital. A third vehicle was hit by debris, but the driver wasn't injured.
The 63-year-old's identity hasn't been released. Police said the crash remains under investigation.
Sandi Churby said it was wrong for her son's life to be taken. She said the other driver “better be put away.”