A 59-year-old truck driver from Rio Rancho, New Mexico was killed Thursday afternoon when his tractor-trailer slammed into the back of another semi on Interstate 80 in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, and his Rottweiler fled into the woods before being found safe the next morning. Michael Rougier, a U.S. Army veteran who served for a decade, was pronounced dead at the scene after being ejected from his truck cab during the collision.
The crash happened around 3:59 p.m. Thursday on I-80 East near mile marker 74.3 in Union Township, according to exploreJefferson. Rougier was driving a Freightliner tractor-trailer eastbound when it struck the rear of a Peterbilt tractor-trailer driven by 49-year-old Jagjit Singh of Carteret, New Jersey, which had slowed for traffic conditions ahead, per details in an accident report from Grossman Law Offices. Pennsylvania State Police confirmed Singh was not injured in the crash, the station’s report notes.
Jefferson County Coroner Greg Furlong said Rougier was pronounced dead at 4:35 p.m. from blunt force trauma sustained in the crash, as reported by Connect FM. Pennsylvania State Police, Jefferson County EMS, and the Brookville and Corsica fire departments all assisted at the scene, the same account notes.
Search for Missing Rottweiler Ends in Reunion
Rougier had been traveling with his Rottweiler, Diesel, at the time of the wreck, and the dog fled into a wooded area near the crash scene. Furlong and Jefferson County official Jason Stiver searched the area afterward but could not locate the dog Thursday, prompting the coroner’s office to ask residents and motorists near I-80 mile marker 74 to watch for Diesel, who family members described as friendly and approachable…