Water Flow Slows Firefighters 
No Injuries Reported In Regent Street Blaze

Accused Killer Says Victim Provoked Him

By CAL BUTERA; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Friday, January 24, 1997 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 5A 





A 20-year-old driver of a pickup truck was injured Thursday when his
vehicle slammed a parked PP&amp;L utility truck, forcing a worker in the truck's
bucket to grab onto a power wire. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Jason Winder, of Drums, fell asleep driving along state Route 309 in Butler
Township around 11 a.m., said Butler Township police. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Winder's truck hit the legally parked PP&amp;L truck, forcing David J. Kepp,
40, of Hazleton, to grab a power wire to avoid falling out of the elevated
bucket, police said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I was in the bucket and never saw the guy coming," Kepp said. "Everything
flew out of the bucket. I didn't know what hit me." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Kepp, who said he suffered some bruises, said he was wearing a safety belt
in the bucket. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The truck moved about two feet," Kepp said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Winder was flown by helicopter to Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, where
he was treated and released, police said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Martha Herron, community development director in Hazleton for PP&amp;L, said
Kepp was taken to Hazleton General Hospital for evaluation. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Winder was wearing a seat belt and his air bag deployed, police said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Another PP&amp;L worker, Stephen Labuta, 54, of Sheppton, was several feet from
the utility's truck when it was struck, police said. He was not injured. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 PP&amp;L's truck was slightly damaged, police said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Herron said safety cones were placed around the work area. "We took all the
safety precautions." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Police said they are still investigating. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Herron said the company also will investigate the accident. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Driver Hurt When His Pickup Slams Into Parked Pp&l Truck