By Jessica Turnbull and Brian Rittmeyer
The Pittsburgh Tribune Review
ALLEGHENY TWP., Pa. — A movie night with his girlfriend took a dramatic turn early Monday for Alan Harff. On his way to Vandergrift, he pulled an Allegheny Township man from his truck in the path of an oncoming train.
“Everything happened really fast,” said Harff, 27, of North Huntingdon.
The 2004 Ford Ranger pickup of Dennis Daniels, 56, of Allegheny Township, ended up on the train tracks near Route 66 at about 12:15 a.m. Monday, according to state police.
At home Monday afternoon nursing a sore back and stiff neck, Daniels said he was on his way home from getting a sandwich when a bad turn put him on the tracks instead of the road.
“I didn’t even have a beer or anything,” he said. “Fortunately, I got out. If I still was in there, I wouldn’t be here.”
The truck was pushed about 1,000 feet along the train tracks in Oklahoma Borough.
According to police, Daniels was driving north on Route 66 and tried to turn left onto Orr Avenue, which parallels the train tracks.
Daniels started up the railroad tracks for about 500 feet before he realized his mistake and stopped.
He said he missed the turn because it was dark and raining. He said he was trying to get the truck moving by rocking it backward and forward.
“It was stupidity on my part, I’ll admit that,” Daniels said.
That’s when Harff, who has been a firefighter for 14 years, spotted the truck as he was driving on Route 66 to visit his girlfriend in Vandergrift.
“It was trying to pull forward and backward,” Harff said.
He pulled into the parking lot of Naser Packing Co. and called the state police, who said they would alert the railroad to stop any oncoming trains.
Westmoreland 911 attempted to have the train stopped but was unable to, according to police.
After sitting in his car for a few minutes, Harff heard a train.
“I ran over to the truck and told him he needed to get out,” he said.
Harff ended up helping the man out and pulling him to safety.
A few seconds after the pair made it to the parking lot, the train hit the truck head on. The train pushed the truck about 1,000 feet up the tracks before the train stopped.
“The collision was pretty violent,” Harff said. “If he didn’t get out, he was going to be in a lot of trouble.”
Daniels said the sound of the impact was horrible, and it broke his heart.
“I loved that truck. I’d like to get it fixed, but there’s no fixing it,” he said. “It could’ve been worse.”
“I can replace the truck. I can’t replace my body.”
Kochka Towing of Vandergrift towed the truck. Daniels said he’s owned 10 Ford Rangers, and will be looking for another.
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