Collision with truck kills 13-year-old boy on bike in Buffalo Township
May 24—A 13-year-old boy bicycling home from a candy store with a friend was struck by a pickup truck and killed Friday evening in Buffalo Township, police said.
Township police Chief Tim Derringer said he learned one of the boys died after being flown to UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. He lived in Buffalo Township.
Derringer said the other boy, on a separate bike, also was struck by the pickup. He suffered minor injuries and was taken by family members to a local hospital. He is 13 and lives in Buffalo Township.
"They were traveling home from a local candy store," the chief said.
The bicycles and the pickup were traveling west when the crash occurred just before 7 p.m. near 218 Cole Road, Derringer said.
Police are investigating an initial indication that sun glare may have prevented the driver of the pickup from seeing the bicycles, according to Derringer.
"The vehicle stayed on the scene," he said. "The driver stopped immediately and is fully cooperating."
There were no witnesses to the crash, but police hope to obtain images of the incident from residential cameras in the neighborhood, Derringer said.
Cole Road was closed at the intersection of Parker Road as township police summoned a state police crash reconstruction team to assist with the investigation.
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
