Blind man hit by truck

Blind man hit by truck

AUSTINTOWN — Police are asking for the help of witnesses to a Friday afternoon traffic fatality in which a garbage truck struck a blind pedestrian on South Raccoon Road.

Township police did not release the name of the 29-year-old man who was struck at 12:53 p.m. on Raccoon, just north of Woodleigh Lane. He was carrying a red and white walking cane and wearing sunglasses.

The preliminary investigation indicates the driver of a Phoenix Disposal truck was backing out from a private drive onto Raccoon when the pedestrian walking northbound was hit by the truck.

Police said they want to find witnesses, especially a woman driving a blue van that was southbound on Raccoon at the time of the accident.

Crime Suppression Unit

YOUNGSTOWN — Creation of a new law enforcement unit will be announced Monday by Mayor Jay Williams and Mahoning County Sheriff Randall Wellington. It is a partnership involving city police, the sheriff’s department and FBI.

The Crime Suppression Unit will involve personnel from each of the agencies and target crime “hot spots” within the city and other parts of the county. The unit will regularly operate during the cycles when peak criminal activity is most likely to occur, the mayor’s office said Friday.

The city will continue to deploy the traditional complement of officers who respond to calls and engage in neighborhood-based community policing and other special assignments.

Attempted robbery

AUSTINTOWN — An employee of Tudor Physical Therapy, 1570 Canfield Niles Road, received small cuts on his arm when an intruder attacked him inside the business Thursday afternoon during a robbery attempt.

The man, who declined treatment, said the intruder came in through the main door about 7:15 p.m. He was wearing a mask and placed a sharp object against the worker’s throat and demanded money. The employee grabbed a pair of pliers from a counter top and struck the intruder in the head, police said. He also struck the intruder with his fist, he said. That’s when the intruder hit the employee with the unknown object and fled on foot.

Alleged assault, robbery

AUSTINTOWN — A 24-year-old Ellsworth man’s jaw was broken during an alleged assault and robbery in Rumors Lounge on Meridian Road early Wednesday. He was in the surgical intensive care unit at Northside Medical Center late Friday.

The man and his girlfriend told police two men got into a dispute with a bartender, which caused one of the men to come behind the bar and take the couple’s drinks from them — saying that if he couldn’t drink, nobody could.

The suspect threw a punch that missed the injured man and grazed his girlfriend’s head, police said. The suspect then hit the injured man in the jaw and hit his girlfriend in the eye. Another man took about $30 and a cell phone from the injured man, police said. The matter was turned over to detectives.

Boiler room fire

JACKSON CENTER, Pa. — The Mercer County 911 Center reported a Friday afternoon blaze at International Timber Veneer Co., 75 McQuiston Drive.

The center said firefighters were called out shortly after 3:45 p.m. because the boiler room roof was on fire. There were no injuries. No other information was available at press time Friday night.

Road closures, detours

GREEN — Beginning Monday, U.S. Route 62 between Calla Road and state Route 165 will close through the end of September for bridge construction.

The detour will be Route 165 to state Route 45 to U.S. Route 224 to state Route 446. This work is the beginning of a $2.1 million project to resurface and improve Route 62 from the Columbiana County line to the southern Canfield corporation limit as well as the replacement of the Route 62 bridge over Little Beaver Creek. The entire project is scheduled to be completed by late October.

Road resurfacing

GOSHEN — State Route 534 from the Columbiana County line to state Route 165 in the township will have various daytime lane restrictions for resurfacing beginning Monday.