A Ligonier Township man who died after a late-night collision Monday purposely drove his car into the path of a tractor-trailer, officials said.

James Fillman Jr., 39, of Darlington was pronounced dead at the scene at 12:50 a.m. Tuesday by Westmoreland County Deputy Coroner Sean Hribal. The cause of death was blunt-force injury.

“We are ruling it a suicide,” Hribal said.

Township police Chief Michael Matrunics said Tuesday that officers responded at 11:55 p.m. Monday to a reported head-on collision on Route 30 westbound near Idlewild and Soak Zone.

While on the scene, police received another call of a domestic disturbance at a home in Darlington, Matrunics said. Police said Fillman was involved in the incident.

“We later determined that (Fillman) had left (the residence), stating he wanted to kill himself,” the chief said.

The driver of the truck owned by Galliker's Dairy told police that it appeared that Fillman's car, a Dodge Caliber, headed east in the westbound lanes and swerved into his vehicle.

“We know there was speed involved and no braking, according to a third-party witness. It appeared he drove toward the truck,” Matrunics said.

Because Fillman lived in the area, Matrunics said, it was unlikely that he was unfamiliar with the stretch of highway.

The accident scene is in the vicinity of a wrong-way crash in May 2015 that killed township police Lt. Eric Eslary. State police said Clair Fink III of Ligonier was drunk as he drove along Route 30 to Kingston, where he made the fatal error of turning into the westbound lanes instead of crossing Loyalhanna Creek to access the eastbound lanes. Police said Fink drove about 2½ miles before colliding with Eslary, who was on routine patrol near Idlewild Park. Eslary, 40, died at the scene.

Westmoreland County court records show Fillman was sentenced to probation in February for pleading guilty to simple assault.

In an affidavit of probable cause, police in Ligonier Township said Fillman slammed a woman's head off a wall several times and punched and choked her Aug. 30 at a home on Orchard Lane.

He initially was charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, harassment and reckless endangerment. As part of the plea bargain, the charges of aggravated assault and harassment were dropped.

Fillman was ordered to have no contact with the victim until he completed anger management classes and was to undergo a drug and alcohol evaluation.

The truck driver, whose name was not immediately available, suffered minor injuries and was taken to Excela Latrobe Hospital, where he was treated and released, Matrunics said.

A Galliker's spokeswoman did not return emails and calls requesting comment on the driver's condition.

Hazardous materials crews were called to the scene to contain a large diesel spill as a result of the crash. Fire units cleared the scene just before 5 a.m. Tuesday, and the road was reopened to traffic soon after that.

Hribal said no autopsy will be performed. Toxicology test results will not be available for at least several weeks.

Coroner Kenneth Bacha recalled several incidents in recent years in which men deliberately used cars or trucks to commit suicide.

In 2011, a South Huntingdon man slammed his vehicle into a utility pole in Sewickley. The 33-year-old man was not wearing a seat belt. The man was “distraught,” Bacha said, and drove away from a residence and “said he was going to do it.”

In 2012, a Harrisburg man walked in front of a tractor-trailer on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, 1 mile east of the Donegal exit. The 29-year-old man had parked his vehicle on the side of the highway.

“He stood along the side of the road until he knew (the truck driver) could not do anything evasive and jumped out,” Bacha said.

The man had left a suicide note, typed on an iPad, inside his vehicle, he said.

“We always see more male than female suicides, period,” Bacha said.

Mary Pickels is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-836-5401 or mpickels@tribweb.com.

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