John died in an accident along the Carrolltown-Colver Road in Cambria Co., Pa. He was a passenger in a car driven by David C. Reig of Carolltown RD 1. Reig, who also died, lost control of his vehicle and slid 300 feet through a field and hit a utility pole broadside, causing the car to burst into flames. Another passenger, Mark L. Brawley, 20, also of Carrolltown RD 1, managed to escape and was found wandering along the Nicktown Road two hours later. John Buck and David Reig were both on leave as PFCs in the Army, with orders to be sent to Vietnam. They had passed two cars just prior to the accident, one of which had John’s younger brother David. Upon arriving at the scene, efforts to save the victims from the car were thwarted by the electrical wires and flames. John Buck could not be removed until Carrolltown volunteer firemen arrived to chop and pry open the doors.