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Driver who struck, killed Dauphin County tow truck operator on I-78 in July charged with vehicular homicide while DUI

Allen Putman was allegedly under the influence of a controlled substance when his vehicle struck and killed Tyler Laudenslager on July 21, prosecutors say.

BERKS COUNTY, Pa. — Editor's Note: The above video is from Sept. 8.

The Berks County District Attorney's Office has charged a Cambria County man with homicide by vehicle and related charges in connection to the death of a Dauphin County tow truck operator in July.

Allen Putman, 29, is also charged with DUI, homicide by vehicle while DUI, recklessly endangering another person, use or possession of drug paraphernalia, four counts of DUI, and related traffic offenses, Berks County prosecutors say.

He was driving the vehicle that struck and killed Tyler A. Laudenslager, a tow truck operator and member of the Halifax Fire Department in Dauphin County. Laudenslager was working on a roadside assistance call on the shoulder of Interstate 78 in Bethel Township, Berks County when he was hit by Putman's vehicle on July 21, according to Berks County prosecutors.

Investigators determined Putman was under the influence of controlled substances at the time of the incident, prosecutors say. 

Police say the crash occurred when Putman's vehicle, which was traveling in the left lane of I-78 West, rear-ended a commercial motor vehicle and veered across the right lane, where it struck Laudenslager's tow truck. The vehicle then struck a second heavy-duty tow truck and continued about two-tenths of a mile before coming to a stop, according to police.

Putman and the three other occupants of his vehicle were transported to Reading Hospital for treatment of moderate to severe injuries, police say. The operator of the commercial vehicle that was struck first was uninjured and refused medical treatment, according to police.

Putman has not yet been taken into custody, according to prosecutors. There is an active arrest warrant in his name.

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