No one was injured Thursday when a flatbed tractor-trailer hauling metal fence flipped along the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Mt. Pleasant Township.
The wreck snarled traffic along the eastbound lanes of the turnpike between New Stanton and Donegal between 8:30 and 10:30 a.m., particularly after the tractor caught fire as it was being towed away, firefighters said.
State police in New Stanton said Michael Eubank, no age available, of Kentucky, was watching his load of fencing as he ascended Chestnut Ridge when his truck went on to the left shoulder of the three-lane highway.
Eubank told police as he steered it back onto the highway, the load shifted, flipping the truck and trailer onto its right side.
Eubank suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene.
Mt. Pleasant fire Chief Gerald Lucia said the truck caught fire as the tow truck pulled away.
"Those tractors are all made from Fiberglas now, so they burn pretty good. Luckily, the fire departments were already there," he said.
Uniontown
Coroner's canine trains
to be cadaver dog
The newest addition to Marissa Springer's family might become an asset at her job with the Fayette County Coroner's Office.
Springer, a deputy coroner, has decided to train her 7-month-old German shepherd, Magnum, to be a cadaver dog.
By the end of the year, Magnum is expected to be able to succeed Shadow, a Labrador retriever who was retired in March 2004 after making 38 recoveries of dead or missing people over eight years.
"We're going to use him for that same purpose," said Roger Victor, Shadow's owner and the chief investigator for the office. "He has a heck of a good nose on him."
Springer, who got the dog in March, said she wanted to use Magnum's sniffing skills in special cases after learning about his bloodlines.
"If we have someone missing, and he could find that person, I think it would be exceptional closure for the family," she said.
Like Shadow, Magnum comes without any cost to the county's taxpayers.
Connellsville
Used book sale
at Carnegie Library
Friends of Carnegie Free Library will hold its used book sale from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Carnegie Free Library, 299 S. Pittsburgh St., Connellsville.
PennDOT releases
work plan
PennDOT District 12 announced the following tentative work plan for the week beginning Monday:
= Endwalls will be installed on cross pipe on Route 3013, East Church Avenue in the Sandy Bottom area.
= Signs will be updated, downed signs will be replaced, and work orders will be addressed on various state routes throughout Fayette County.
= Patching and base repairs are scheduled for Route 381 in the Mill Run area.
= Pipe flushing is planned for Route 40 in the Summit Mountain area.
= Shoulder-cutting operation is scheduled for Route 3005 in Woodside.
= Side dozing will take place on Route 3006, Smithfield-New Geneva Road.
= Mechanical patching is scheduled for Route 1039, Leisenring-Vanderbilt Road, and Route 1043, Round Barn Road.
= Patching is scheduled for Route 119, Connellsville area.
= Sub-base repairs are scheduled for Route 166, Republic.
= In preparation of bridge maintenance activities, crews will be establishing a shifted lane on Route 201, beginning at segment 280 offset 75, intersection of routes 201 and 1036.
All maintenance activities are conducted on a weather-permitting basis. Motorists should drive with caution throughout all work areas and be alert for signed work zones requiring the usage of headlights.
PennDOT has a 24-hour toll-free number for residents to call to report any road maintenance concern or to report locations of dead deer on state highways. The number is 800-FIX-ROAD (800-349-7623). Visit at www.penndot12.com.
-- Staff reports
