BROOKFIELD, MASS. (WHDH) - Devin O’Brien is now living proof of how neglecting to clean ice off a vehicle can lead to dicey situations.
The 23-year-old was driving his work van down Route 9 in Brookfield on Monday when he saw what he thought was snow flying off the top of an oncoming tractor trailer.
The next thing he knew, his van made impact with a giant sheet of ice.
“The ice that came through the window was probably brick sized,” said O’Brien. “Four to five inches thick… It’s crazy, I got so lucky.”
O’Brien says the ice pierced the driver side windshield, smashed the van’s hood, and shattered the headlight.
“There was glass everywhere,” said O’Brien. “I had glass under my eyes, in my ears.”
Drivers behind O’Brien saw what happened and pulled over to help.
One witness tried but failed to chase down the tractor trailer, which kept driving.
Others pulled O’Brien out of the destroyed van, and called for help.
Brookfield police eventually tracked down the truck and cited the driver for an unsecured load.
According to the police report, the driver didn’t even realize what had happened.
“We all clean off our cars for a reason,” said O’Brien. “So this doesn’t happen. If he had checked that morning, probably wouldn’t have happened.”
O’Brien is exploring legal action against the driver.
In the meantime, he hopes his story reminds every driver to think twice, and clear the ice, before getting behind the wheel.
“I’m not here to play the blame game,” said O’Brien, “but I could have died.”
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