Parents, also emergency responders, discover son at crash scene

A South End man known for helping other people in emergencies was seriously hurt Sunday in a car accident in Freeland.

Jonathan Shields, 22, was injured about 5:40 a.m. Sunday morning when his car hit a power pole. Shields was flown by an Airlift Northwest helicopter to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

According to the Washington State Patrol, Shields was traveling northbound on Smugglers Cove Road at Vista Road when his 2006 Pontiac G6 failed to negotiate a curve and left the road on the right shoulder.

Harborview Medical Center spokeswoman Susan Gregg-Hanson said Shields is in the intensive care unit and in serious condition.

Shields comes from a family that has made helping others a way of life. His mother, Connie Shields is captain of the emergency medical services division for Fire District 3; his stepfather, Bill Stolcis, is a paramedic at Whidbey General Hospital.

Both parents were at the scene with their son Sunday.

So was Assistant Fire Chief Paul Busch, who said it was difficult seeing a friend and fellow firefighter injured.

“Connie and Bob did not realize it was their son in the accident until they arrived on the scene,” Busch said.

“It was tough,” he said.

Washington State trooper Joshua Lancaster said the accident is still under investigation.

“Right now we are still piecing all the information together. There was no evidence of ice on the road. It was wet in places and frosty,” Lancaster said.

However, Lancaster said frost should not have been a factor.

“The area where the accident occurred has wide sweeping curves that are posted at 40 miles per hour,” Lancaster said.

Shields was returning from a friend’s house at the time of the crash.

As a volunteer emergency medical technician for Fire District 3, Shields has been called out to motor vehicle accidents, medical emergencies and fires to help others in dire situations.

On Sunday his colleagues were called out to help him, however. Busch said eight to 10 volunteers were at the scene of the accident.

Shields followed his parents into a career in emergency services. He joined the fire district as part of the high school firefighter program. He later became a firefighter and an emergency medical technician. He also worked for a time as an EMT for an ambulance service in Snohomish County.

“He continued to volunteer for us when he was available, even when he was working,” Busch said.

Shields is now part of the fire district night staff, as part of the sleeper program, handling medical and emergency calls from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

He returned full time to the island less than two years ago and is living with his parents in Freeland. Shields works for Whidbey Topsoil in Freeland.

“Jon is a super individual and just a great all around guy,” said Eldon Baker, a friend and fellow firefighter who is also Shields’ boss at Whidbey Topsoil.