Midshipman dies in freak accident on I-78

GREENWICH TWP., Pa. - August 4, 2012

The (Allentown) Morning Call reports 21-year-old Austin Tyler Zalik, a junior majoring in ocean engineering, died Friday in Pennsylvania's Berks County.

Authorities say Zalik, of Allentown, Pa., had been sleeping in his pickup truck in the parking lot of a gas station before the accident at 7 a.m. Authorities say the pickup may have drifted forward as Zalik slept. The truck dropped off an embankment and into the path of a tractor-trailer.

Zalik was a member of the 9th Company and was on the Naval Academy's gymnastics team and was going to be its captain in the upcoming season.

The Academy says it plans a ceremony to celebrate his life later this month when midshipmen return.

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Information from: The Morning Call

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