The settlement still requires judicial approval.
Greg Longenecker, 51, of Reading died July 9, 2018, when he was run over by a bulldozer during a search by state police on state game lands in Penn Township.
According to authorities, Longenecker fled into brush to avoid troopers who were investigating suspicious activity involving marijuana plants on the game lands.Â
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A bulldozer nearby operated by a Game Commission employee was enlisted by troopers to travel through the brush in search of Longenecker.
After the search, Longenecker s body was found crushed by the bulldozer.
Longenecker s family sued the state police and the game commission in 2019 disputing the official accounts of Longenecker s death, which claimed he crawled under the bulldozer and was run over when it turned.
Family of suspected pot-grower killed by police bulldozer gets $475k Brian Niemietz
The family of a Pennsylvania man killed by a police operated bulldozer in July 2018 will receive $475,000 for their loss.
Grateful Dead enthusiast Gregory Longenecker reportedly fled from law enforcement officials in Reading, where he was suspected of growing 10 marijuana plants. When the 51-year-old man ran into a thick brush, state police gave chase, using a Pennsylvania Game Commission bulldozer in the pursuit.
Prosecutors said cops acted properly and that Longenecker’s death was the result of his crawling under the bulldozer when it came to a halt, then being fatally crushed when it continued to move. Authorities also alleged the short-order cook was under the influence of methamphetamine. The Berks County coroner ruled the death accidental.
Gregory Longenecker, a 51-year-old short-order cook and Grateful Dead fan, had fled into thick brush after being caught growing 10 marijuana plants on public land near Reading. His body was found under the treads of a Pennsylvania Game Commission bulldozer that state police had commandeered in pursuit.