SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, Pa. – A Pennsylvania State Trooper was killed in a fiery crash on Interstate 81 in Schuylkill County Wednesday morning. The trooper was a 20-year veteran of the department.
What we know:
The crash happened shortly before 7 a.m. Wednesday on I-81 in Cass Township.
Trooper Michael Pahira was conducting safety inspections Wednesday morning, and had one truck stopped in the southbound lanes for inspection, acting Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner George Bivens said.
Pahira was standing next to the truck’s cab talking to the driver, Bivens said, when another truck coming south veered off the road, and hit Pahira’s pickup truck and the tractor trailer that had been stopped.
The truck continued, eventually hitting Pahira and dragging him, before the truck caught on fire with Pahira underneath it.
First responders got to the scene, pulled Pahira out from under the truck and took him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
What they’re saying:
At a press conference on Wednesday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said that Pahira had served the department for two decades, “with extraordinary distinction.”
“He was a good man, and he was a good cop,” Shapiro said. “And he was taken from us far too soon as he served our community. We’re all going to miss him.”
Bivens said Pahira “died a hero.”
“He was an outstanding trooper,” Bivens said. “An excellent motor carrier enforcement officer…had been going it for a number of years and was considered to be one of our best.”
What we don’t know:
The driver of the truck that caught fire has been identified. He is being treated at a local hospital.
Officials are still investigating what caused the truck that crashed into Pahira to veer off the road.
Bivens said it’s still too early in the investigation to determine if there will be charges filed in this case.
The Source: Information in this story is from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Acting Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner George Bivens and the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association.
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