MILTON, MASS. (WHDH) - The exit 10 on-ramp reopened on I-93 in Milton Friday morning, 24 hours after a tractor-trailer crash.
Traffic was shut down Thursday night as crews worked to fix power lines taken down in wild wreck.
A tractor-trailer hauling cheese and operated by an alleged drunken driver rolled over on I-93 in Milton early Thursday morning, causing major headaches for the morning commute.
The truck crashed at Squantum Street in Milton at around 1 a.m. The crash damaged guardrails and took down power lines.
The highway was closed in both directions for a time and 38,000 pounds of cheese had to be removed from the truck before it was up-righted.
The driver, identified as 43-year-old Eri Pleitez was arrested. Pleitez, of Lynn, was arraigned later Thursday morning on charges including operating under the influence of liquor.
Pleitez entered a not guilty plea in Quincy District Court. He claimed he was cut off by another driver but also admitted to drinking six beers at a birthday party in Chelsea at around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. Witnesses told police that they did not see another driver cut him off.
“He only had a couple of beers because it was a friend’s birthday. He wasn’t really that drunk,” said Jo Dellamano, Pleitez’s friend.
Prosecutors said Pleitez, a father of three, was slurring his speech and had glassy eyes when he spoke with state troopers at the scene. They said he had a BAC level of .11 and that he failed several field sobriety tests.
Pleitez was ordered held on $2,500 cash bail. A judge ordered him to stay off the road until the case has been resolved.
No injuries were reported in the crash.
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