Garbage truck worker jumps out of path of speeding pickup before collision, police say

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Garbage truck worker jumps out of path of speeding pickup before collision, police say

Renatta Signorini | Tuesday, August 8, 2023 10:44 a.m.

Courtesy of Adamsburg fire department

Two people were seriously hurt in a three-vehicle crash on Arona Road in Hempfield.

Two people were hospitalized with serious injuries Friday after a crash involving a garbage truck in Hempfield.

State police said a Ford Ranger being driven on Arona Road at 9:30 a.m. by Franklin Klavora, 87, of Irwin was speeding as it approached the garbage truck from behind. A worker on the back of the truck, which was stopped at Merlin Drive, was able to jump out of the way before the crash.

The pickup collided with the garbage truck while attempting to pass it and was thrown into a Toyota Camry traveling in the opposite direction, police said. Klavora and his passenger Maryann Ruggiero, 71, of Irwin, were trapped and firefighters cut off the pickup’s roof to free them, police said.

Klavora was taken to UPMC Presbyterian and Ruggiero was transported to AHN Forbes Hospital. The driver of the Toyota had minor injuries and was taken to Independence Health System Westmoreland Hospital.

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