VERGENNES — The general manager of the Goodrich manufacturing plant in Vergennes was killed in a car accident in Pennsylvania Monday morning.
Gary J. Loftus, 58, of Connecticut was driving a 2005 Chevy Suburban in the left lane of Interstate 81 northbound near Pine Grove about 35 miles northeast of Harrisburg on July 5, according to news reports. Police say that a few minutes before 11 a.m. the SUV drifted into the right lane and made contact with a green 1996 Pontiac Grand Am driven by Melinda Brown, 31, of Lykens, Pa.
Loftus’ vehicle then swerved into the median and rolled one and a half times and stopped on its roof.
Schuylkill County Deputy Coroner Wallace Hodgson pronounced Loftus dead at the scene. According to the Lebanon Daily News, a nine-year-old boy riding in the SUV suffered minor injuries.
Brown in the Grand Am was not injured.
Everyone involved was using their seat belts at the time of the crash, police said.
A person who answered the phone at Goodrich offices in Vergennes referred questions to the company’s corporate offices.
Sol Mirelez, a spokesman for Goodrich Corp., confirmed that Loftus was the corporate vice president and general manager of the Vergennes plant, which makes sensors and integrated systems for military and commercial helicopters, among other things. With more than 800 employees, Goodrich is the largest employer in Vergennes.
Mirelez said Loftus previously worked at a Goodrich subsidiary in Connecticut and he kept his home there are taking over the job in Vergennes.
Mirelez said on Wednesday afternoon that the company hadn’t yet identified a replacement for Loftus.
“We have a talent management process we/re following to evaluate potential candidates,” he said. “We hope to announce something soon.”
John S. McCright is at [email protected].