Man jumps from runaway truck, dies on Route 160
Sep. 10—WELLERSBURG, Pa. — A Mississippi man died early Friday when he jumped out of a tractor-trailer that lost its brakes on state Route 160 near Wellersburg.
Pennsylvania State Police said Alexander Johnson, 42, of Amory, was traveling south near Palo Alto Road about 1:35 a.m. when the truck "experienced a mechanical failure with its braking system."
After Johnson jumped, the truck traveled off the right side of the road, struck multiple trees and caught on fire, police said.
Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene.
The steep, winding Somerset County route leading to Maryland Route 35 at Barrelville has been the scene of numerous truck accidents in recent years, prompting the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation in 2019 to impose a 13-ton weight limit on a 3.7-mile section the highway from Glencoe Road to the Maryland state line in Wellersburg borough.
Trucks carrying loads weighing more than 13 tons — except local deliveries — are not permitted to descend Route 160.
Information about the truck, including its weight and destination, was not available Friday.
