Second Passenger in Evans City Bus-Train Crash Dies from Injuries

A second person has died from injuries he suffered when a train struck a Butler Area Rural Transit bus carrying elderly and mentally challenged people last month in Evans City.

John D. Burkett, 88, of Zelienople, died Saturday with his family present, according to his obituary on the Boylan Funeral Home website.

Burkett was one of two critically injured people on the bus flown by medical helicopter to hospitals in Pittsburgh following the April 26 crash at the Maple Avenue crossing.

The nine other people on the bus, including the driver, were taken by ambulance to area hospitals for treatment.

Burkett spent five days in the shock trauma unit at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh before being transferred to the VNA Inpatient Hospice in Butler, his obituary said.

Claudette Miller, 91, of Callery, also died of her injuries just hours after the crash.

Evans City Police Chief Joe McCombs said the bus was heading east towards South Washington Street at about 8:15 a.m. when witnesses said it stopped for an unknown reason on the tracks while the train was approaching.

The freight train blew its horn before striking the bus broadside, spinning it around, McCombs said.

Defense attorney Michael Pawk, attorney for driver Frank Schaffner, has said his client told him he did not stop the bus on the tracks.

Pawk told the Tribune-Review that Schaffner, a 59-year-old Butler resident, had stopped the bus prior to coming to the tracks and was slowly crossing them when the train hit.

Police continue to investigate the crash.

Remembering John Burkett

A 1942 graduate of Zelienople High School, Burkett was an active member of the St. Peter's Reformed Church in Zelienople.

He was married to Mary Lou Burkett for 66 years and was a father, grandfather and great-grandfather, according to his obituary.

He proudly served his country in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and was a member of the Cranberry Township VFW and the Zelienople American Legion Post 474. He also was also a member of the Scottish Rite Cathedral in New Castle.

Burkett was the owner and operator of his family's milk hauling business for many years. He eventually retired from Mine Safety Appliances, which is headquartered in Cranberry.

Burkett’s family will welcome friends from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the Boylan Funeral Home, 324 E. Grandview Ave., Zelienople.

A funeral ceremony with military honors will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Peter's Reformed Church, 314-320 E. Grandview Ave., Zelienople, with the Rev. James R. Bertoti officiating. Friends are asked to meet at the church.

Memorial contributions in Burkett’s honor may be made in support of the St. Peter's Reformed Church or the VNA Inpatient Hospice, 115 Technology Drive, Butler, PA 16001.

Cranberry Patch welcomes friends and family of John Burkett to share their condolences in the comment section below.