A Bentleyville, PA man was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital Friday afternoon after his motorcycle was struck from behind and he flew 33 feet through the air and landed in the bed of a pickup truck in North Strabane Township.
Jeffrey D. Cull, 40, of 503 Washington St., had stopped his motorcycle because traffic had backed up in the southbound lanes of Route 519, near the Wilson Road intersection, at 4:18 p.m., when he was hit from behind by a car driven by Gerald Ethridge, 74, of 60 Carl Ave., Eighty Four, police said.
After he was hit, Cull flew 33 feet through the air, landing on his back in the open bed of a pickup truck driven by Lester Beal, 55, of 62 Sundust Road, Eighty Four, police said. Beal, who had also stopped for traffic, told police he heard something squeal, a thud and then someone moaning in the back of his truck.
Michael Dzurko of 102 Prospect Ave., Charleroi, was driving north on Route 519 and witnessed the accident. Dzurko, who is also a paramedic, treated Cull until emergency personnel arrived.
Ethridge, the driver of the car that struck Cull, reportedly told police that he had become distracted for a second and looked away from the road. He said when he looked back at the road "it was too late," police reported. Ethridge told police he was only traveling 25 mph. The speed limit on the road is 45 mph.
Cull, who was wearing a helmet, was flown by medical helicopter to Allegheny General Hospital, police reported.
A spokeswoman for the hospital said Monday that she had no record of Cull's treatment.
