BASS RIVER, N.J. (July 11, 2007) — A tire technician with McCarthy Tire & Automotive Centers was killed July 10 when a disabled charter bus fell on him as he was changing a flat tire on the side of the Garden State Parkway in Bass River.
The victim, Jan Tegen Jr., 26, was employed for about three years with the Absecon, N.J., commercial tire location of the Wilkes-Barre, Pa.-based McCarthy dealership chain.
According to state troopers, the accident occurred at 11:15 a.m. July 10 as Mr. Tegen was changing a flat right rear tire on an Eastern Bus Co. charter bus carrying 48 passengers to Atlantic City. Mr. Tegen was under the bus that was elevated by two hydraulic jacks when one of the jacks apparently shifted on a soft grassy area, according to a state police spokesman. The rear of the bus dropped and pinned him on the ground. He suffered chest and neck injuries and died at the scene, state troopers said.
The state police are still inspecting the jacks, and the accident remains under investigation.
Kevin Rohlwing, senior vice president of education and technical services for the Tire Industry Association (TIA), said such incidents are rare. In TIA's road service training video, “we address this very subject,” he said.
In situations where the ground is soft or sandy, Mr. Rowhling advised technicians to put a metal plate under a jack to firm up the surface area.