Family of Butler County native killed in accident travels to Virginia for funeral
NORFOLK, Va. — A Butler County family is headed to Virginia today for a memorial service after a former Butler County man was killed Tuesday afternoon when a utility pole fell on his car at Norfolk International Terminals. David B. Weiland, 43, of Virginia Beach, Va., was a longshoreman with the Virginia Port Authority. "We're pretty devastated. We'll be traveling to Virginia for the memorial service there. He was recently engaged, and his fiancee wanted a service," said Weiland's sister, Lisa Lotz of Prospect. Lotz, who is Butler County Clerk of Courts, said her brother's body was released to the family today. Port authority police officers and Norfolk Fire and Rescue crews responded to the 1:20 p.m. accident on Tuesday and removed Weiland from his car, but were unable to resuscitate him. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Apparently the pole was knocked down by a crane. A video clip on the Web site of WAVY-TV 10, a Norfolk news outlet, shows a heavy crane, used for moving containers on the dock, wedged against the base of the light pole. "The cab is in the front of the crane, so I don't know how (the crane operator) didn't see the pole, but he drove right into it." Lotz said. "People that witnessed it said (Weiland) got in the car, sat down, and the light fell on him." "At this point, it seems like an 'out-of-the-blue' type of accident," said Joe Harris, a spokesman for the Port Authority. "It seems as if (Weiland) was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
