Victim Of Big Truck Saves Boy

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. - An 82-year-old spectator killed by a five-ton pickup at a "monster truck" show tossed a boy to safety just before the vehicle crashed into the bleachers, the coroner says.

"He's a hero," Niagara County Coroner James Joyce said yesterday of Lester Gilliam.

Gilliam, of Lewiston, N.Y., was killed and at least seven other people were injured Saturday after the truck went out of control at the Niagara Falls Convention Center. The cause of the accident was under investigation.

Before the crash, Gilliam picked up James Fiegel, 10, of Depew, N.Y., and threw him out of the way, the coroner said. The boy was treated at a hospital for a head injury and released.

A capacity crowd of 5,200 attended the show, said Michael Weber, a spokesman for the promoter, SRO-Pace Promotions of Lombard, Ill. Gilliam attended with his sons, and they were allowed in the pit area because the younger men ran a towing company associated with the show, WIVB-TV in Buffalo reported.

A witness, Steve Pilawski, said the truck went out of control after jumping over a line of cars. No charges were filed against the driver, Daniel Vanloo, 38, who was treated for a concussion, authorities said.

Weber said SRO-Pace complies with the rules established by the U.S. Hot Rod Association.

"SRO-Pace presents more than 250 events each year and we have an excellent safety record," he said. He said Saturday's death was the first fatality since the company began operating in 1977.