MERRIMAC, MASS. (WHDH) - Two men were killed in a rollover crash Thursday morning in Merrimac.
The crash happened on the northbound side of Route 495, just south of Exit 53. According to State Police, the crash involved a 2004 Ford Econo passenger van with six people inside. Jose Chuqi, one of the men in the van, said they were heading from Milford to Maine to work on a roofing job.
Police said seat belts were a factor, meaning some, if not all, seat belts were not being used. Chuqi said only the driver was wearing a seatbelt and the crash happened when a tire blew out, causing the van to roll over.
The men were transported to area hospitals. One was pronounced dead on scene; another was transported to Lawrence General Hospital, where he later died. The four other occupants in the vehicle were injured.
Chuqi said only two men normally ride in the van but the extra workers were there to help finish the job in Maine.
The highway was reopened just before 10 a.m.
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