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Veteran's Pickup Truck Struck By Stray Bullet On Busy Highway

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DERRY TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- A veteran and avid hunter says he's lucky to be alive after a stray bullet struck his truck while driving along a busy highway over the weekend in Westmoreland County.

Terry Steiner's 2001 jet black Ford Ranger is his pride and joy.

"It's never seen rain or anything. It's 7-year-old with 12,000 miles," says Steiner. "It's a limited use truck."

It was in perfect condition, until this weekend's incident.

"A big hole in the side of a truck, and I know it's a bullet home. I've been around guns," said Steiner.

A dangerous blemish created, apparently, as Steiner was rolling along Route 22 eastbound, near Jonnet Road on Sunday afternoon.

"I heard a hard impact on the truck, loud," said Steiner. "It was a louder than that. It was heavy, heavy loud, like someone punched the side of the truck."

Steiner say being that it was a Sunday, no hunters should have been in the woods, and if they were sighting in their rifles, they forgot the number one rule.

"You've got to know where the bullet stops. You have to know where the bullet stops," says Steiner.

In this case, it was the side of Steiner's truck.

"We believe this was most likely an accident," said Trooper Stephen Limani, of the Pennsylvania State Police.

Nevertheless, state police say if they're able to figure out who pulled the trigger, that person could face charges.

"Although it could have been an accident, the one thing that falls in the Pennsylvania crimes code is recklessly endangering the welfare of a person," Trooper Limani said.

Meanwhile, Steiner - who is a veteran, avid hunter and firearms expert - says he's going to get his truck patched up, and realizes it could have all been much worse.

"It could have hit anybody, anything. Thank God it didn't hit me in the head," he said.

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