May 9, 2007 By Josh Krysak 2 min read

A Dunbar man has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after what police said he meant as a joke resulted in the traffic death of a Uniontown man Tuesday morning.

State police said Emmett Cooke, 48, of Memory Lane was charged before Magisterial District Judge Wendy Dennis with involuntary manslaughter and recklessly endangering another person following the death of Terry Kurosky, 49, of 168 Brushwood Road.

Police allege that Cooke, a passenger in a car driven by Robert Keefer, 31, of Dunbar, pulled the emergency brake of the vehicle while traveling on Jumonville Road around 5:53 a.m.

According to trooper James Pierce, when Cooke pulled the brake, Keefer lost control of the 1990 Chevrolet Cavalier and it slid into a bank and then overturned near the intersection with Klink’s Road.

Police said Kurosky was ejected from the vehicle out the back window.

Pierce said the three men were on their way to work at a road-paving job when the crash occurred.

Fayette County Deputy Coroner Paul Kondrla pronounced Kurosky dead at the scene at 7:06 a.m.

According to Deputy Coroner Jessie Langer, the cause of death was ruled as blunt-force trauma to the head.

She said no autopsy is scheduled and that the manner of death remains pending further investigation.

Pierce said Cooke told investigators that he and Kurosky were friends for more than 20 years and that it was common for them to joke around with each other.

He told police that those jokes included pulling on the emergency brake while driving, Pierce said.

Cooke told police that he was “messing around” when he pulled the brake, causing the car to overturn, Pierce said.

Cooke was released on $50,000 unsecured bond.

The Haky Funeral Home in Uniontown is handling funeral arrangements.