Avonmore man's family thanks bystanders who tried to save him after fiery New Stanton crash

The family of an Avonmore man who died after a fiery crash in New Stanton thanked the bystanders who tried to save his life.

Carl “Butch” Noonan Jr., 71, died Friday afternoon at UPMC Mercy in Pittsburgh, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said.

The crash happened Thursday in New Stanton where Route 119 turns into Route 66. The bridge crossing Interstate 70 was on fire from spilled diesel fuel, fire Chief Rob Cammarata said.

State police said the crash started on Route 119, continued over the bridge and ended on Route 66, just south of where North Center Avenue crosses over Route 70.

The truck’s bed was over a hillside, and debris and the load of asphalt it was carrying spilled over the bridge onto the highway between Youngwood and New Stanton.

More than a dozen passersby stopped to try to put out the flames and rescue Noonan. Joe Schiavone and Steve Parsons, heading to a job for Perfect Industrial Cleaning, used four or five fire extinguishers and then their pressure washing equipment.

In Noonan’s obituary, his family thanked doctors and staff at UPMC Mercy and “all the heroes who did not just stand on the sidelines but made every effort to save Butch’s life.”

An Army veteran, Noonan worked for Tresco Paving as a truck driver in the asphalt division for more than 10 years, according to his obituary.

A Tresco representative has not responded to a request for comment this weekend.

No services for Noonan are immediately planned. The family will hold a celebration of life at a later date, his obituary states.

State police in Greensburg were investigating the crash. A spokesman could not be reached for comment Saturday.