The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Steelyn Gary Kanouff was positioned in the wheel arch of a Caterpillar 773E trying to repair a leak on the front strut when the suspension let go – pinning him between the massive tyre and the vehicle.
Kanouff was laying stomach-down over the tyre trying to work on the problem when the body of the truck dropped about a foot.
Kanouff, 26, was killed instantly.
Pennsylvania police and the US Mine Safety and Health Administration are investigating.