A funeral will be held Friday for a 36-year-old Butler County man who was killed last week in a two-vehicle crash in Luzerne County.

Krispen J. Kriner, 36, of Butler died April 26 when the sport utility vehicle he was driving collided head-on with a tractor-trailer on Interstate 80 in Sugarloaf Township near Hazelton, state police said.

Kriner was pronounced dead at the scene of the wreck. A woman who was riding with him was seriously injured.

Police said Kriner was traveling west on I-80 just before 7 p.m. when he lost control of his 2000 Subaru Outback, which went off the highway and hit a guardrail.

The SUV returned to the road and slammed into the rig driven by Marufjon Musurmonov, 24, of Philadelphia.

The Volvo tractor-trailer ended up on top of the driver's side of the vehicle, which trapped Kriner and his passenger, Hallah J. Sbita, 33, of Montrose, Susquehanna County.

Volunteer firefighters and employees with two tow truck companies worked hard to reach both occupants in the SUV, police said.

According to rescuers, one of the wreckers was used to lift the rig off the Subaru while the other tow truck pulled the SUV out from under the tractor-trailer.

Police said the highway was closed for about three hours.

A 1999 graduate of Butler High School, Kriner worked at Cycle Warehouse in Butler. He was attending New Castle School of Trades while enrolled in its motorcycle program.

The Martin Funeral Home in Butler is handling funeral arrangements.

Kriner's obituary is on Page 6.