A mechanic and the man whose flat tire he was fixing were killed yesterday after a tractor-trailer struck them on the side of the road, state police said.

Russell Evans, 29, of the first block of Teresa Ave. in Rising Sun, and Dornell Demoin Jackson, 31, of Inglewood, Calif., were changing the tire on Jackson's tractor-trailer on Interstate 95 near Havre de Grace when they were hit.

Investigators said Jackson had been traveling south on I-95 at about 3: 30 a.m. when the tractor portion of his truck got a flat tire. Police said Jackson pulled the truck over to the right shoulder about a mile north of Route 155, and Evans responded from River City Towing in Havre de Grace to help change the tire.

Police said Evans was changing the flat while Jackson and a friend of Evans' held flashlights to illuminate the work area. A tractor-trailer driven by Richard Olaf of New Jersey drove off the roadway and onto the highway's shoulder, hitting the two, officials said.

Evans and Jackson were pronounced dead at the scene. Police briefly closed down all southbound lanes after Evans' friend, Della Jean Thomas, also of the first block of Teresa Ave. in Rising Sun, ran into the roadway in a state of shock.

Officials said neither Olaf nor the woman was injured in the crash.

Investigators said there was no immediate indication of drugs or alcohol being involved in the accident. Authorities said no charges had been filed yesterday, and an investigation is still pending.

Several crashes have occurred recently on that strip of I-95 near Havre de Grace,including one last month in which a Philadelphia woman was struck by her own car after a tractor-trailer slammed into her.

Pub Date: 10/08/98