Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania
End of Watch: Wednesday, April 25, 1973
Age: 25
Tour of Duty: 2 years, 3 months
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Automobile crash
Date of Incident: April 25, 1973
Weapon Used: Automobile; Commercial
Suspect Info: Not available
Trooper Bruce Rankin was killed when his unmarked cruiser was struck by a tractor-trailer during a heavy rainstorm at 9;30 am.
The tractor-trailer jumped across the median of Route 119 in Greensburg when the driver braked to avoid crashing into another vehicle. Trooper Rankin was traveling south and was hit head-on by the tractor-trailer. He was pinned in the wreckage of his cruiser for over thirty minutes. He was pronounced dead at the Westmoreland Hospital.
Trooper Rankin had served with the Pennsylvania State Police for two years, assigned to Troop A in Greensburg. He was survived by his fiancee, parents, and sister..