West Sunbury Man Killed, Teen Injured in Collision with Garbage Truck

State police at Butler are investigating a crash in Clay Township early Monday morning that killed a West Sunbury man and critically injured his teenager passenger.

Nicholas Spisak, 23, was flown by medical helicopter to UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh, where he was pronounced dead. His passenger, 18-year-old Maloney Birckbicher, of Hilliards, is in critical condition, according to state police.

Spisak was driving north on Route 308 in a 1994 Chevrolet Camero at about 4:45 a.m. when he was seen crossing the double yellow line of the highway and into the path of an oncoming Waste Management truck, state police said.

The driver of the garbage truck, Wayne Miller, 32, of Parker, attempted to swerve out of the way to miss the Camero, police said. The Camero then struck the passenger side of the garbage truck before rolling onto a grassy berm on the side of the highway and hitting a tree.

The impact caused Birckbicher to be thrown from the vehicle, police said. Spisak, who was not wearing seat belt, was trapped in the car. Fire rescue personnel on the scene from the West Sunbury and Unionville fire departments extricated him from the vehicle, according to the state police report.

Miller was not injured. State police continue to investigate the crash.