School to resume Tuesday after 13-year-old was struck, killed while riding bike in Butler County
BUFFALO TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) -- Police say the driver of the vehicle that struck and killed 13-year-old Dylan Tarbi on Friday said he couldn't see Tarbi on his bike because of sun glare.
People who live near Cole Road in Buffalo Township say sun glare has long been an issue on the street.
"In certain conditions, it can be absolutely blinding to drive on," said Eric Westendorf, Dylan's baseball coach. "It's definitely a road where if you're driving on it in the evening, you definitely need to have sunglasses on or pull a visor down."
He says that's the reason he didn't doubt the driver's story, especially because the driver stayed on the scene and cooperated with police.
Drivers on the road come across multiple hills.
Scott Wolfe, who lives nearby and has driven on the road for more than 50 years, said he's also noticed a sun glare issue.
'When you start traversing up the hill on the other side, when the sun is setting over there, it becomes pretty blinding," Wolfe said.
A sign nearby tells drivers how fast they are going compared to the speed limit. Wolfe said he is not sure if anything can be done to make the road safer.
Westendorf has coached Dylan since he was about 9 years old.
"Just an absolute joy to coach. If I would have asked him to run through a brick wall, and if he thought it would help his team, he was one of those kids he would do whatever you asked of him," Westendorf said.
Westendorf told KDKA-TV that Tarbi played in a game the day before the crash, scoring a run in a rally that gave his team the win. He credits Tarbi's speed and resilience.
Tarbi's father is setting up a scholarship fund for area high school athletes in Dylan's honor.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office has ruled Dylan's death an accident.
