Caldwell Mayor Bernard Rychlik died in a two-vehicle accident on Texas 36 late Monday, according to law enforcement officials.
Rychlik, 71, was driving a 2003 Chevrolet Carryall south on Texas 36 near the Caldwell city limits at 8:17 p.m. when he attempted a U-turn near the intersection with County Road 107, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. His vehicle was hit broadside by a 1993 GMC that was traveling behind him, a DPS official said.
Firefighters extracted Rychlik from his vehicle using the “Jaws of Life,” and he was transported to the Burleson St. Joseph Health Center in Caldwell, where he died at about 9:45 p.m., officials said.
The driver of the GMC, Calvin Strickland, 46, and his passenger, Sarah Norton, 29, both of Caldwell, were taken to St. Joseph Regional Health Center in Bryan in stable condition with non life-threatening injuries, according to the DPS.
Everyone involved in the wreck was wearing a seatbelt, the DPS official said.
Rychlik, who served on the City Council for more than 30 years, will be sorely missed in the 3,500-or-so member community that came to call him "Mr. Caldwell" long ago.
He grew up in the New Tabor community.
Jonnie Vic Barnett, who served on the council for three decades alongside Rychlik, said Burleson County lost a leader who never can be replaced.
"He was everything in this city," said Barnett, reached by phone late Monday. "He was dedicated to Caldwell, to his family, to his friends. He was really involved in high school athletics, the Catholic church here and, of course, he was very much a part of the Kolache Festival every year. The ambassador he was on Kolache Festival weekend is the same ambassador who lived that life every day in our community."
Barnett, who described Rychlik as his best friend, said his colleague not only was a public servant, but also a leader at Woodson Lumber, where he worked for most his life.
The below map shows police calls reported by the College Station Police Department each day from 6 a.m. to 6 a.m. (indicated by blue markers), police calls reported by the Bryan Police Department daily from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. (indicated by yellow markers), as well as incidents reported by The Eagle in Bryan, College Station and surrounding areas (indicated by red markers). Click on individual incidents or markers for details.
Editor's Note: The Eagle has produced this map based on information provided by the College Station and Bryan Police Departments. The map does not include all calls for service and the information is preliminary. Data provided by the police department may not accurately reflect the nature of the calls, and the status of reported incidents may change after further investigation. Locations are approximate.
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