Man who caused fatal crash in Clay had health problems; autopsy inconclusive

Syracuse, N.Y. — The man who drove a Ford Mustang at a high speed through a red light in Clay, colliding with another car, killing himself and another person, had a history of health issues, his former wife said.
Ann Schmitt said Thursday that her former husband Michael Paetow, 72, had heart problems and was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. He was a severe diabetic, she said.
Schmitt said Paetow also would sometimes close his eyes and fall asleep.
“I don‘t know if he had one of those ’head down, close your eyes’ spells in the car, or if it was a heart attack or what,” she said.
Paetow, of Liverpool, died in the violent crash Sunday morning at Route 31 and Route 57 (Oswego Road) in Clay. His Mustang smashed into a Ford Escape in the intersection. One person in the Escape later died, and two others — a mother and her baby — were taken to a hospital.
Paetow’s autopsy was performed Monday, Schmitt said. It was inconclusive as to whether he experienced a medical emergency at the time of the crash, she said.
Schmitt, who said she remained good friends with Paetow, said he hasn’t drank alcohol since he was in his 20s. He also never did drugs, she said.
Paetow also had weakness in his legs and needed to use a wheelchair on a cruise this spring, she said.
Schmitt said she believed the crash was an accident. She had spoken with him earlier that morning and he said he was leaving shortly to go to Dee’s Diner in Mattydale.
“He was a grandpa driver in a nice car,” she said.
Ben DiBlasi said Paetow, his friend of nearly five decades, has had heart trouble in the past. He thought he had a heart attack.
Gina Clifford, who met Paetow through a boating club in the Thousand Islands region, said she had driven with him many times and he never would speed.
A passenger in the Ford Escape, Dawn Brown, 58 of Mattydale, died in the crash.
Brown’s niece, Shaylee A. Allen, 26, of Tully, was driving the Ford Escape. Allen and her 11-month-old daughter, Roxanne Rizzo, were injured in the crash. They were both hospitalized, but are expected to recover.
Trooper Jennifer Jiron, a spokesperson for the State Police, said an investigation into the crash is ongoing. She did not respond to a question asking to confirm the autopsy results.
Staff writer Jon Moss covers breaking news, crime and public safety. He can be reached at [email protected] or @mossjon7.