Toppled Steamroller Crushes Pa. Foreman`s Ribs

May 26--LARKSVILLE -- A steamroller tipped over on a borough public works employee Tuesday afternoon, pinning the man on the ground for nearly 15 minutes, emergency crews said.

Quick-acting fellow workers used a nearby backhoe to partially extricate the man before fire crews arrived to complete the rescue on Hill Lane, authorities said.

Kevin Fulton, 56, the foreman of the borough road crew, complained of severe pain and was taken to the trauma unit of Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Township. It appears he suffered several broken ribs but escaped further injury, Larksville fire Chief John Edwards said Friday evening.

"He's better than we thought," Edwards said. "When we got there he was in a lot of pain."

Public works crews had been completing a job on Hill Lane, off Larksville Mountain Road, when the steamroller tipped about 1 p.m.

Authorities said the front roller drum of the machine snapped off as Fulton tried to guide the steamroller onto trailer. The rest of the steamroller then flipped backward.

Fulton was pinned to the narrow gravel road by the machine's steering wheel, officials said.

"The crew he was working with was able to extricate him from under that," said Larksville firefighter John Fronzoni. "They were able to get him partially freed with the remainder being done by the fire department."

Edwards said the borough's workers compensation carrier was notified of the incident, which he continues to investigate. He said it's pretty clear the machine simply broke.

"You could tell what it is," Edwards said. "It just snapped."

bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2055

@cvbobkal

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