Philadelphia

Tow Truck Driver Dies in Schuylkill Expressway Hit-&-Run

Mike House died after being struck by a hit-&-run driver along the Schuylkill Expressway in Montgomery County

A tow truck driver died from his injuries after he was struck by a hit-and-run pickup truck driver in a crash that closed the eastbound lanes of the Schuylkill Expressway for hours.

Police say several vehicles were involved in a crash on Interstate 76 East at mile marker 338.6 in Lower Merion Township, between Exit 338 (Green Lane/Belmont Avenue) and Exit 340A (Lincoln Drive/Kelly Drive) shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday.

Tow truck driver Mike House arrived on the scene and was hooking a vehicle to a flatbed when he was struck by a Ford F-150 driven by Emmanuel Doxy, Pennsylvania State Police said.

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Tow truck driver Mike House died after being struck while responding to a crash along Interstate 76. | See Larger

House, who started working at K & S Towing & Recovery in Havertown about six months ago, was taken to the hospital where he later died from his injuries. The Blue Bell, Pennsylvania resident was 32 years old. 

Witnesses gave a description of the striking truck that helped troopers track down Doxy at his home in Philadelphia, investigators said.

Near Doxy's home, troopers found an F-150 with significant damage consistent with the crash, police said.

Troopers detained the suspected hit-and-run driver without incident and questioned him. It was unclear what charges he could face.

House is the father of two children, including a baby.

"That's all that mattered to him," said Steve Wilson, a mechanic at K & S Towing. "He wanted the overnight shift so he could spend more time with them. How do you not applaud a guy like that?"

Those who knew him remembered him as a joy to work with who put an emphasis on safety.

"It sounds like a cliche but he was happy to come to work every day," said Steve Fusaro, the owner of K & S Towing. "Always came in, said hi to everybody and enjoyed what he did."

Fusaro told NBC10 he was at the scene of the crash Sunday night and was approached by a woman who was stuck in the traffic back up.

"She had a bottle of holy water," Fusaro said while fighting back tears. "She walked over. She gave it to me. She gave me a hug. Last night before I left the scene I threw it. I threw some on the truck and then gave it to his wife."

The towing company is working on setting up a trust fund for House's children through the Bryn Mawr Trust Company.

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