For his entire adult life, Barry Miller was a giver and “a huge figure in the town of Bergen.”
That was evident in the outpouring of grief in Bergen Wednesday after Miller, chief of Fire Department Emergency Medical Services and a county coroner, was killed on his way to a call in Riga. “His connection to the community is indescribable,” said Donald Cunningham, town supervisor and close friend of Miller’s. “He wanted to help people and that would reciprocate when he was in need, which was very rare. He was a go-getter and full of adventure and passion for life. He was definitely giving more than he was taking.”
Miller, 50, was a front-seat passenger in the rescue ambulance that was called to Johnson Road in Riga about 7 a.m. for a report of a 63-year-old man in possible cardiac arrest.
The ambulance on Bovee Road just west of Brew Road when it slammed into the rear of a backhoe owned by the town of Riga.
Ambulance driver Zackery Czudak, 30, told Monroe County sheriff’s deputies that he had reduced speed because of patches of fog and sun glare. Investigators believe he may not have seen the backhoe in time to stop.