A New York man was flown by medical helicopter to a Pittsburgh hospital Monday morning after state police said he jumped onto a tractor-trailer on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Cyril A. Sooklal, 37, was driving west on the highway just before 10 a.m. in Mt. Pleasant Township when troopers said he pulled over at mile marker 79 and got out of his vehicle. He walked into the left lane of the highway in the path of a tractor-trailer between the Donegal and New Stanton interchanges, according to a news release.

The truck driver was able to slow down to approximately 5 mph when Sooklal jumped onto the front of the tractor-trailer, police said. The truck driver started to pull off of the highway when Sooklal fell off, was caught under the right tire and dragged for 80 feet.

The truck driver, identified as Anthony D. Dixon, 34, of Maryland, was not hurt.

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