Elderly Man Killed By Backhoe In Abington

ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (CBS) – An elderly man is dead after being struck by a backhoe in Abington on July 12, 2012.

The incident happened at 1:23 p.m. at the intersection of Parkview Avenue and Lycoming Avenue in Abington. The backhoe, which was being operated by 58-year-old John H. Manzinger, of Glenside, was being used in a road resurfacing project, and Manzinger had just dumped a bucket load of material into a dump truck.

Manzinger stated that as he went to back up from the dump truck, he looked both ways before beginning to back up. As he was backing through the intersection in a circular manner, he struck a pedestrian who was crossing the street.

The pedestrian, 72-year-old Thomas Smerke, was crossing in the crosswalk when the backhoe struck him. Smerke was rushed to Abington Memorial Hospital, where he died the following day.

An investigation is underway.