February 16, 2007

Man hit by snowplow dies

       An 84-year-old Center Grove area man died hours after being run over by a plow truck in his driveway, according to police.  Roscoe M. Pike, who lived in the 5200 block of Mount Pleasant North Drive, died about 8 p.m. Thursday at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, a spokeswoman with Clarian Health said.

         The incident, which occurred in the Mount Pleasant I subdivision, is under investigation by the Johnson County Sheriff's Office while the department waits to find out the cause of death from the Marion County coroner's office, said Johnson County Sheriff's Maj. Randy Werden.  The driver of the truck and his passenger are not in any trouble, Werden said. He described the incident as a tragedy and said the driver wasn't doing anything reckless.  An autopsy was performed Friday morning.  Results were not available Friday evening.

         Pike told his neighbor and a police officer that the plow truck he hired to clear his driveway Thursday morning had knocked him down and run over his leg. The truck's driver and passenger said they had no idea the vehicle had touched the man.  Mark W. Barnd, 25, a plow truck driver with A Cut Above Lawn Service of Greenwood, and James Redden, who was riding in the passenger seat, thought Pike had fallen on the ice behind the truck.  Pike had flagged the plow driver down and offered to pay to have them plow his drive.  Pike's neighbor, Phyllis Jones, watched from her porch as the plow truck cleared Pike's drive. The same truck had just cleared her own entry.  As the plow crew finished the job, Pike saw a spot he thought had been missed, Werden said.  The two men in the truck didn't realize Pike was standing in the driveway and didn't see him behind the vehicle's bed examining the snow, Jones told police.  Jones watched as he was knocked down by the truck and then started screaming for the men to stop, Werden said.  From her vantage point, Jones was unable to see whether the vehicle ran over him, Werden said.  The two men got out and found Pike on the icy ground. They thought he had fallen.  They carried him into his home, placed him in a chair and offered to call for family or medical assistance. They thought he had just fallen on the ice.  Pike insisted he would be fine and reminded them that they had not been paid. He gave them $40 for plowing his drive, and they left.

         Jones called Pike's grandson, who came to the house and called 911. An ambulance came and took Pike to Community Hospital South, where police took pictures of his bruised leg and arm. He told them the truck had run over his leg.  After talking to Barnd later that day, a deputy learned Pike said his injuries had come from the plow truck.  "They were adamant that they had no idea the truck had hit him," Werden said.  Pike's condition worsened throughout the day, and he was taken to Methodist just after 1 p.m., where he died.  The plow truck company released a statement Friday that said, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the man who died."   (Reprinted with permission from the Daily Journal).
 
   

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