Pa. man dies in collision with tanker truck

September 08, 1999|By DON AINES

ORRSTOWN, Pa. - A Southampton Township man was killed Wednesday afternoon when the pickup truck he was driving collided head-on with a tanker truck on Orrstown Road, Pennsylvania State Police said.

Ricky James Johnson, 40, of 6377 Ebenezer Road, was pronounced dead at the scene of the 2:23 p.m. accident, according to Franklin County Coroner Kenneth L. Peiffer.

He said an autopsy will be performed today at Chambersburg Hospital, but the preliminary cause of death was multiple trauma.

Police said Johnson was driving a 1998 Ford F-150 east when it crossed into the westbound lane. The right side of the pickup was hit by a 1988 Mack tanker truck driven by Duane D. Heishman, 36, of Carlisle, Pa., police said.

Johnson was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from his vehicle, troopers said.

The impact caused the pickup to flip onto its roof, and the tanker truck rolled onto its side on top of Johnson's vehicle, according to the report.

Both vehicles were severely damaged, police said.

Heishman was not wearing a seatbelt, either, police said. He was taken to Carlisle Hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

Peiffer said the truck was hauling 4,000 gallons of cheese whey mixed with water, a nutrient used for farm animals.

The accident closed Orrstown Road between Hickory Run and Mongul Hill roads for about three hours while police conducted their investigation and the scene was cleaned up.

It was the second fatal accident this month in Franklin County. Last Friday a York, Pa., woman was killed when the pickup in which she was riding crashed on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Metal Township.

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