Man, 24, dies in crash
CLARION TWP. Clarion County — A 24-year-old East Butler man known for his infectious laugh and love of sports died Sunday morning after crashing his pickup.
State police at the Clarion barracks report that Joshua P. Bartley was driving his 2006 Ford F-150 on Greenville Pike, just north of the Stone House in Clarion Township around 4:45 a.m., when the wreck occurred.
The truck reportedly drove off the right side of the road. When it began to roll over, Bartley, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected. He was later pronounced dead at the scene by the Clarion County coroner.
Two passengers in Bartley’s truck, Justin J. Lackey, 23, of Chicora and Carlos E. Morando III, 23, of Butler, were wearing seat belts and suffered only minor injuries.
A written report by state police indicates alcohol was a factor in the accident. However, the trooper who investigated was not available to elaborate.
Meantime, friends memorialized Bartley on his Facebook page with anecdotes and photographs, noting his sense of humor, love of life, laughter and sports.
Bartley, who worked at Penn United Technologies, especially enjoyed dek hockey.
“He was a really good dek hockey player,” said friend Josh Bobby of Butler. “He was the kind of guy that would play super hard against you during the game. Crack super funny jokes between faceoffs. He would knock you over then when the play went the other way he would smile and make sure you were OK.
“He was an awesome guy. I’m sad that he is gone. Playing at Butler dek hockey won’t be the same without him around.”
Although Bartley was not a firefighter, he was an active member of the East Butler Volunteer Fire Department’s organization, where his two brothers are firefighters, said Chief Kevin Hesidenz.
“His entire family is good people,” Hesidenz said.
