Man hit by snow plow while leaving doctor’s appointment in ‘freak’ accident

PITTSBURGH, Penn. (WPXI) – Severe weather is impacting Pennsylvania along with other parts of the country.

A wintry mix caused road problems Monday and even led to a freak accident in Greensburg.

Trooper Steve Limani, with the Pennsylvania State Police, said the snow created a busy morning for police and other first responders.

“We didn’t have a ton of crashes, but we definitely had more than normal,” he said.

Authorities were called to a scene in Hempfield Township around 8 a.m.

A man had reportedly been hit by a plow truck in the parking lot of an orthopedic office.

“It’s kind of a little bit of a freak incident,” Limani said.

Troopers said 74-year-old Paul Tucci was hit by the back side of the plow truck, which was operated by Westmoreland Landscapes LLC.

The vehicle also had a salt spreader attached to it.

Officials believe Tucci had just left a doctor’s appointment and was not run over by the truck but was either dragged or pushed.

“We’re lucky that we had some witnesses, because from the way it was described to me, the driver didn’t even realize,” Limani said.

Tucci was taken to a nearby hospital before being transferred to one in Pittsburgh.

Police said it is too early in the investigation to determine who is at fault.

“It didn’t appear he was doing any reckless driving in the parking lot or any crazy negligent acts that you would think, but it’s real early in our investigation,” Limani said.

Troopers said everyone needs to be aware of their surroundings while in the snow.

“We’re early on into our season, so maybe we can just be vigilant so we don’t have any other accidents like this take place,” Limani said.

Tucci suffered serious injuries, but troopers said he is expected to survive.

“It’s just a horrible tragedy, and we just hope he survives his injuries, and our prayers go out to his family,” Limani said.

There has not yet been any comment from the company that operates the plow truck.