POTTSVILLE, Pa. — Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Michael Pahira Jr. was killed after a tractor-trailer left Interstate 81 and struck him during a commercial vehicle safety inspection, officials said.
The crash happened just before 7 a.m. on July 1 on the southbound side of I-81 near mile marker 119 in Cass Township, Pennsylvania State Police Col. Georg Bivens said during a news conference. Pahira had stopped a tractor-trailer and was standing near the driver’s door when another tractor-trailer left the roadway for an unknown reason.
The tractor-trailer struck Pahira’s patrol pickup, which was parked behind the stopped truck, pushing it into the vehicle Pahira was inspecting, Bivens said. The striking truck then continued down the berm, hit Pahira and dragged him underneath for a distance before catching fire.
Other troopers, emergency responders and bystanders worked to free Pahira and render aid. He was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital Schuylkill, where medical personnel tried for more than 90 minutes to save him.
“He never regained consciousness,” Bivens said.
Pahira, who joined the Pennsylvania State Police in 2007, was assigned to Troop L, Frackville. Bivens described him as an “outstanding trooper” and one of the agency’s best motor carrier enforcement officers.
“The man died a hero,” Bivens said.
Gov. Josh Shapiro said Pahira, whose family called him Mikey, had wanted to be a police officer since high school. He described Pahira as a devoted son, brother and uncle who had recently moved back in with his parents to help care for his mother, who is undergoing cancer treatment.
“He was a good man, and he was a good cop, and he was taken from us far too soon as he served our community,” Shapiro said.
Shapiro said he ordered flags in the commonwealth to be flown at half-staff in Pahira’s honor.
The crash remains under investigation. Bivens said investigators are examining both tractor-trailers and reviewing records to determine what caused the truck to leave the roadway. Officials said it is too early to say whether charges will be filed.
