Driver in fatal 2022 Adams Township garbage truck crash charged with involuntary manslaughter
A Slippery Rock man was charged Thursday, Feb. 8, with involuntary manslaughter in connection to a fatal August 2022 collision involving two garbage trucks in Adams Township.
Mark E. Seybert, 51, is accused of blocking both lanes of traffic near 441 Mars Valencia Road while driving a Vogel Disposal Service garbage truck, causing a crash with a Waste Management garbage truck.
A Waste Management garbage truck, driven by David Bortmes, 53, struck the back end of the Seybert’s vehicle and crashed into a nearby vacant building during the early morning crash Aug. 26, police said.
Bortmes, of Karns City, died as a result of the crash, police said in August 2022.
Adams Township police said Seybert was attempting to make a 180-degree left turn onto the road when there were options to make the turn safely. The affidavit said Seybert’s actions showed “gross negligence.”
Seybert was charged Thursday with misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter and summary citations for careless driving and failing to yield.
Seybert’s preliminary hearing on the criminal charges is scheduled March 6 before District Judge Amy Marcinkiewicz.
Ed Vogel Jr., vice president of Vogel Disposal Service, said the crash was an “unfortunate accident.”
“It’s very unfortunate. You never like to hear of anything like this. Our biggest fear is always someone getting hurt, whether it’s one of our employees or the public,” he said Friday.
He said employees undergo regular training to promote safety, and that Seybert has been a driver for their company for 10 years. Seybert remains an active employee of Vogel as of Friday morning.
According to charging documents, Seybert reported the crash to 911, saying the Waste Management truck crashed into an upper floor of the unoccupied Miller’s Screening building and appeared to be sinking.
Police said when they arrived, the Waste Management truck was covered in debris and the roof was collapsing on the cab.
Seybert told police he had dropped off dumpsters and was attempting to turn left from the parking lot, documents showed.
Seybert said the left turn was too tight, and his vehicle was across Mars Valencia Road as he attempted to complete it, according to charging documents. He was about to back up to complete the turn when Bortmes rounded the bend, police said.
He told police he did not want to move the truck and “play chicken with the other driver,” according to the charging documents.
Bortmes hit his breaks, struck the back of Seybert’s truck, and crashed into the building, documents showed.
The affidavit included Seybert’s written statement about the crash, which said Bortmes’ vehicle was “moving at a good pace and not slowing down.”
“All I could do was brace for impact,” Seybert said, according to the document.
Police said Seybert’s truck was gray with a red cab, and would be hard to see in the dark. There is no lighting over the road where the crash occurred, police said.
Documents showed there is an empty gravel lot on the property of Miller’s Screening which would have provided “sufficient room for Seybert to safely perform a three-point turn before making the left-hand turn.”
Police said Seybert’s failure to do so resulted in Bortmes’ death.
The charges follow a lawsuit filed by Rena Bortmes, of Chicora, on behalf of herself and the estate of her late husband against Vogel Disposal Services and Seybert.
The lawsuit includes wrongful death and survival claims against Vogel Disposal Services and Seybert, and seeks damages in excess of $35,000.
The August 2023 lawsuit indicated Bortmes suffered catastrophic injuries from being pinned in the truck by a collapsed dashboard and steering wheel. He remained conscious and was talking to emergency responders at the scene.
However, he suffered a heart attack when rescuers began to extract him from the truck, and he was later pronounced dead at UPMC Passavant Hospital in Cranberry Township.
The lawsuit alleges that Vogel and Seybert failed to ensure the truck could be moved safely and failed to abide by traffic laws and that Seybert didn’t use hazard lights or other warnings to alert drivers that the truck was blocking both lanes.
