Jonathan Dibler works repairing vehicles damaged in crashes or other mishaps.
He’s not so well-versed when it comes to rescuing people from those crashes.
But that’s what the 18-year-old employee at Caliber Collision in New Kensington did on his lunch break Monday.
“It was instinct,” Dibler said. “It was an adrenaline rush at the time.”
Dibler was headed toward Lower Burrell on Route 366 from the auto body shop on Industrial Boulevard when, he said, he saw a red Hyundai SUV go past him on Stevenson Boulevard, which is a section of Route 366. The SUV was weaving in and out of lanes, according to Dibler, a Kiski Area High School graduate.
That vehicle, driven by Richard Kern, 69, of New Kensington, crossed the center line on Route 56 near Memorial Park and crashed into a pickup heading in the opposite direction, according to police. The crash was reported shortly after 3 p.m. and closed the highway in both directions. New Kensington fire Chief Ed Saliba Jr. said the road reopened about 6 p.m.
When Dibler, of Apollo, saw the crash, he parked his car in the middle of the roadway to block traffic and ran to the scene.
He said he pulled the pickup driver out of his vehicle as the passenger compartment was catching fire.
“By the time I got him out, the fire started getting worse,” Dibler said.
He said it didn’t appear the man was injured.
Dibler said he then ran over to check on Kern, but he was not showing signs of life.
Kern was pronounced dead at the scene. Kern died of blunt force trauma, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson.
Both drivers were driving alone, and no other injuries were reported.
“It does appear (Kern) suffered a medically related incident” prior to the crash, said Melanie Jones, spokeswoman for the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office, which was handling information regarding the crash.
Dibler did not know either crash victim. He said police thanked him for his work and that he provided a witness statement.
“I was on the phone with my mom while it was happening,” Dibler said.
Dibler is not involved in any volunteer fire or other emergency departments. He said he jumped into the scene because it was the right thing to do, though he’s not sure how he managed to stay calm throughout the ordeal.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said.