Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Police: Former Troop 72 Scoutmaster Tom Smerke was in the crosswalk when struck by backhoe
Thomas Smerke, the former Scoutmaster of Troop 72, Overlook Hills, out of Roychester Park, was in the crosswalk when he was struck by a township-operated backhoe in the corner of Parkview and Lycoming avenues on Thursday at about 1:23 p.m., Abington Police Deputy Chief John Livingood said. Smerke, 72, of Allen Lane, died the following day at Abington Memorial Hospital. “A township backhoe, doing a street repaving project in the area, being used to remove old millings by putting them in a dump truck — it appears that the backhoe accidentally backed over the victim,” Livingood said yesterday. “He didn’t die until the next day.” According to a Tuesday morning Abington Police press release, John Manzinger, 58, of Glenside, was operating the …
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Lycoming Ave & Parkview Ave, Abington, PA
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Monday, July 16, 2012
Tom Smerke, former Scoutmaster of Boy Scouts of America, Troop 72, Overlook Hills, dies following an incident Thursday near his home.
Abington Police Deputy Chief John Livingood said during an early-evening phone call today that Tom Smerke, a former Scoutmaster of Troop 72, out of Roychester Park, died as the result of injuries sustained during a July 12 construction vehicle incident; Livingood said Smerke died at Abington Memorial Hospital the following day. “A township backhoe, doing a street repaving project in the area, being used to remove old millings by putting them in a dump truck — it appears that the backhoe accidentally backed over the victim,” Livingood said. “He didn’t die until the next day.” The township employee is not being charged criminally, though Abington Police are still determining exactly what happened, Livingood said. The incident happened …
40.13521
-75.11336
Lycoming Ave & Parkview Ave, Abington, PA
/articles/update-abington-deputy-chief-confirms-scoutmaster-killed-by-township-operated-backhoe
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Tom Smerke, former Scoutmaster of Boy Scouts of America Troop 72, Overlook Hills, dies following an incident near his home.
Check out the updated story here. Thomas Smerke, the former Scoutmaster of Overlook Hills, Troop 72, died following a Thursday afternoon incident involving a piece of construction equipment. There are few details; but according to an Abington Police records room employee, Smerke died at Abington Memorial Hospital following the incident. Abington Police did not return several calls regarding the incident and the records room is not releasing the accident report because the case is “under investigation.” John Capps, who has had four of his sons go through the Scouting program at Roychester Park starting in 1989 said the incident happened at the corner of Lycoming and Parkview avenues. “There was a frontend loader doing storm drain work …
FbS
7:31 am on Wednesday, July 18, 2012
I worked with Tom for years. Great person. RIP Tom.. more ›