Gene Bores, Rochester Township truck driver in Beaver County, Pennsylvania killed after trying to stop run away tractor trailer ‘improperly’ parked at Sherwin-Williams plant. Authorities investigate.
Did a lapse in safety standards cause a contractor’s death? A 71 year old Pennsylvania old truck driver was killed on Monday while attempting to stop a tractor-trailer from rolling away in Rochester Township, Beaver County.
Gene Bores died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head, neck and pelvis. His death was ruled the result of a ‘freak accident.’
At the time of the incident, just on 1.30 p.m, May 26, contractors were off-loading a trailer at the Sherwin-Williams plant on Cleveland Street when their truck began to roll away.
Truck driver crushed to death by improperly parked tractor trailer
Officials said that as contractors attempted to stop the vehicle, Bores was hit and pulled underneath the tires of the truck, according to the Beaver Valley Regional Police.
Bores was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said the truck began rolling after being improperly parked at the facility. Cops said the brakes of the vehicle were checked and did not show any signs of damage or further issues, KDKA News reported.
Local resident Kristina Warnick expressed disconcert following the tragedy.
‘There’s a lot of trucks and traffic during the day, so we try to keep the kids inside until everything clears out,’ she told KDKA. ‘What if one of the kids were outside and it went rolling? It’s scary.’
The resident’s comments point to the potential dangers posed by heavy vehicles in the area, where industrial activity is common.
Pennsylvania State Police are now assisting investigations and will now seek to determine why the vehicle was not properly secured and whether safety standards had been adhered, and if not, why?
Rochester Township, with a population of 2,708 as of the 2020 census, is a small community in Beaver County, established in 1840 from part of New Sewickley Township. Its proximity to Pittsburgh places it within a bustling metropolitan hub, where industrial sites like the Sherwin-Williams facility are economic fixtures.
Authorities had yet to say whether the plant bore culpability following Monday’s tragedy and what new measures would be adopted at the facility to preempt a future incident.
