LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — Update, Dec. 28, 7:18 a.m.: The Ephrata Police Department is asking for the public's help in an investigation into the death of Paul Donnelly, 39, of Ephrata.
Donnelly was found dead on an Ephrata roadway early on Christmas Day.
Police are attempting to determine how the man died.
A witness who stopped to help Donnelly when she saw him laying in the roadway said that he had not been there before a truck passed through the intersection in front of her.
Police contacted the driver of the tractor trailer, who said he did not see anyone or notice hitting anything. A close examination of his vehicle corroborated his story, showing no evidence of a collision.
A review of the tractor trailer's dashboard camera footage shows no pedestrians on the sidewalk or roadways as the truck approached the intersection. A nearby building's footage of the intersection from a different angle shows the same.
The video from the building shows the tractor trailer approaching the intersection with no pedestrians visible on the roadway, sidewalks or roadside. After the truck passes through the intersection, Donnelly is seen laying on the ground. A police officer arrived approximately 30 seconds later.
Police believe based on the evidence available that Donnelly may have been riding on some part of the truck or trailer undetected by the driver and fell or jumped from the moving truck, resulting in his injuries and subsequent death.
Anyone who may have witnessed this incident or may have home or vehicle video footage on Dec. 25 between midnight and 12:40 a.m. in the area of West Main Street at Martin Avenue or on West Main Street between the square and Martin Avenue are asked to contact Sgt. Matthew Randolph at 717-738-9200, extension 221.
Previously: Police are investigating the death of a man found on an Ephrata roadway early on Christmas Day.
The Lancaster County Coroner's Office says Paul Donnelly, 39, died from multiple traumatic injuries.
Donnelly was found at the intersection of West Main Street and Martin Avenue on Dec. 25 just past 1 a.m.
The coroner's office ruled his death as accidental after an autopsy on Monday.
