Fire Rescue News- Goal-oriented Hammonton firefighter, machinist dies in crash

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Posted: Monday, February 13, 2012 9:59 pm

By LEE PROCIDA Staff WriterpressofAtlanticCity.com

HAMMONTON - David Gulig Jr. had plans.

The 18-year-old became a volunteer firefighter midway through high school. He also started training years ago to be a machinist, and the apprentice had a goal to make that his career.

But those plans he made early in his life ended abruptly Monday morning, when he died from injuries suffered in an.....Continue Reading

accident Sunday evening.

Gulig lived just a short distance down 13th Street from where his pickup truck apparently slid on a patch of ice at about 6 p.m. and hit a telephone pole between 1st Road and 2nd Road that crushed his driver's-side door.

Gulig, the only occupant of the truck, was pulled from the vehicle by his fellow firefighters and flown to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, City Campus in Atlantic City. He was pronounced dead at 1:19 a.m.

The accident is still under investigation by Officer Jason Rigby, but Sgt. Sam Mavilla said nothing illegal was involved.

"There was no drunk driving, no other cars involved," Mavilla said. "It's just an unfortunate accident."

Gulig had attended Hammonton High School but did not graduate, instead working full time as a machinist and eventually planning to continue his education with technical training.

"He was the type of kid that would do everything and whatever he was asked to do," said Michael Gazzara, a friend of the family and owner of Hammonton-based Precision Tech LLC, where Gulig was training.

Gazzara said Gulig had been working with him for three years, and since last summer he was training full time. It was something the teen loved doing, he said.

Gulig also was a volunteer firefighter with the Hammonton Volunteer Fire Company No. 2 since 2010. Company President Joe Caruso said Gulig "was a new member, but he was a different kind of kid."

"He wasn't a rebellious kid. He was a respectable kid," Caruso said. "He'd do anything for anybody around."

The area where Gulig crashed was cleared of snow by Monday afternoon from the sun and warmer temperatures.

The night before, though, the light amount of snow had melted and frozen again into a solid, slick covering, and even police were advised to use caution as they approached the accident site.

The road there is also dark and rural. Had Gulig's truck missed the pole, it may have slid into a frozen, muddy agricultural field.

Area fire departments shared their condolences with the Gulig family and the Hammonton fire company after news of the accident spread early Monday.

"His contributions to the department will be sorely missed," the Hammonton fire company said on its Facebook Web page. "Once again we extend our deepest sympathies to the Gulig family. Although David has passed, he will never be forgotten."

Contact Lee Procida: 609-272-7227 LProcida@pressofac.com