John Krauland Jr., 28, of Gibsonia was killed Friday morning when a school bus was pushed on top of his car by another vehicle.

ALLEGHENY COUNTY — A 28-year-old Saxonburg native was killed Friday morning following a multiple vehicle and school bus crash in Hampton Township.

John Krauland Jr. of Gibsonia was a 2003 graduate of Knoch High School and a graduate of Slippery Rock University.

During his Knoch days, he was an all-conference football player. He also had been a starting offensive lineman at SRU.

“I’m just shocked, and we’re all shocked to hear this news,” said Mike King, Knoch football coach and athletic director. “He was a kid that loved life and was very true to himself in everything that he did. I just feel really bad for the family, and I’m thinking of them right now.”

King said he kept in touch with Krauland through the years via text messages and occasional face-to-face visits. He most recently saw Krauland in 2011, when the Knoch Knights had a playoff game at Heinz Field.

“He had some words of wisdom for the team,” King said. “He had a love for life, and the last few times that I’ve seen him, he just had everything going on and was doing extremely well.”

He was an employee at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh since January 2011, where he worked as a loss control coordinator in the diocesan Office for Parish Property Planning and Development.

Bishop David Zubik and other staff members released a statement regarding his sudden death.

“John was a consummate professional who cared deeply about the safety of everyone entrusted to the church’s care. With his technical and analytical skills he enhanced our diocesan safety program,” said David Stewart, diocesan risk and benefits manager and Krauland’s immediate superior, in a statement.

He was also “intensively involved” with activities at St. Victor parish in Bairdford, having taught CCD classes and was working with those students on a play. He also was a lector and Eucharistic minister there.

“For a young man who was recently married, that was remarkable. He was deeply involved here and he was very interested in the life of the parish. But beyond that, he had a strength of faith and a love for the church itself,” said the Rev. Charles Speicher, in a statement.

According to police reports, Krauland was stopped at a red light on East Hardies Road at Route 8 shortly before 8 a.m. Friday when a school bus that was turning onto East Hardies Road was hit by a pickup truck and pushed on top of Krauland’s Nissan sedan.

There were no children on the bus which served the Pine-Richland School District.

After the accident, Bishop Zubik went to the hospital and spent time with Krauland’s family, including his wife of four years, Diane.

“John was a very good man, a good husband, a good son and a good son-in-law,” Zubik said. “There are no words to explain tragedies like this one.”

He added, “May this tragedy become an important lesson for all of us to stop and take time to appreciate the people we live with and work with.”