Lewis Alling, Death – A man has died after being taken to the hospital from a construction accident in Allegheny County Saturday. A gas leak at the site has been shut off. County dispatch confirmed that police, fire, and paramedics were called to Stonegate Drive and Fieldstone Court. They also said that one person had been taken to the hospital from this scene.
County police say the accident, which happened around 1 p.m., involved a truck towing a flatbed trailer. First responders found a man hit by the truck. The victim was loading the flatbed when the truck tractor began to move backward, hitting the man. He was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and died around 3:30 p.m.
The man was identified by the county medical examiner as Lewis Alling, of Hickory, Washington County. He was 59 years old. A WTAE photojournalist on the scene learned that this was the area of a housing development.
Columbia Gas said that an excavated hole had been covered with a metal plate at the site with a backhoe parked there. Work was scheduled to resume on Monday.
A driver for an unnamed third-party company working on the project crashed into the backhoe, knocked off the metal plate and damaged a nearby gas line, the spokesperson said. A gas crew responded and was able to shut off the gas.
County police are investigating. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call 1-833-ALL-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous.