WHEELING - Shadyside resident John M. Ruskowski was killed early Tuesday when tractor trailer wheels broke from a semi and slammed into his car, Wheeling police announced.
Ruskowski died at 1:13 a.m. on the Interstate 470 Veterans Memorial Bridge in Wheeling. The accident occurred as Robert Mancini, 54, of Mount Olive, Ill., was traveling east and a set of dual wheels broke from his vehicle. The wheels went into the westbound lane and struck the 1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass driven by Ruskowski.
Wheeling Police Chief Robert Matheny said the driver's side of Ruskowki's vehicle was smashed in from top to bottom. The driver had to be extricated from the vehicle by members of the Wheeling Fire Department.
According to the chief, a Wheeling police officer initially attempted to rescue the driver by breaking the rear window to enter the car.
Lt. Bill Goldbaugh is the lead investigator in the case. He said Mancini already has been cited for equipment violations. He believes those citations will result in fines. Goldbaugh said there is the potential for Mancini to face criminal charges.
"We know what happened," he said. "The question is whether the negligence on the equipment means we should do something criminally. I don't think that it will, but I will talk to the prosecutor and see what he wants to do."
Matheny said the driver of the tractor trailer may not have known the wheels struck another vehicle. He said Mancini pulled over to inspect his vehicle at the Bethlehem exit where he was interviewed by an Ohio County Sheriff's deputy. Matheny said the tractor-trailer driver provided written statements.
According to the chief, the wheels of the tractor-trailer were found about 100 yards east of the victim's vehicle. He said bearings from the tractor-trailer were found several hundred feet west of the accident scene.
Goldbaugh said Ruskowksi's body was transported to a Morgantown hospital.
Ruskowski was a former assistant football coach at St. John Central. He was also a standout football player during his prep career at St. John's.
