DANVERS, MASS. (WHDH) - Police have identified the Alaska man who died after a large piece of metal flew off the back of a landscaping truck and crashed through the windshield of his vehicle on Interstate 95 in Danvers on Friday morning.
Troopers responding to a report of a vehicle that had been struck by a piece of metal on the northbound side of the highway near Exit 67B around 8:20 a.m. found a 2020 Ford Fusion that had been impaled by a 15-foot piece of metal, according to Massachusetts State Police.
The driver, 69-year-old Thomas Arrington, of Palmer, Alaska, was pronounced dead at the scene. His 68-year-old wife, who was riding in the vehicle suffered minor injuries.
The piece of metal, which police identified as a concrete screed, pierced the windshield of the Fusion and struck Arrington. He was able to stop the vehicle in the third travel lane before succumbing to his injuries.
The screed, a tool used to level and smooth freshly poured concrete, fell out of a 2020 Ford F550 dump truck that was being operated by a 21-year-old Lynn man.
Police noted the operator, an employee at a Lynn-based constriction company, has since identified himself and has been cooperative.
Palmer and his passenger had just arrived in Massachusetts for a vacation, according to police.
Video taken at the scene showed a hole in the windshield of the driver’s side of a Ford Fusion that was towed away.
The screed was secured to the back of a tow truck for removal.
A man who returned to the scene of the crash told 7’s Steve Cooper that he was riding in the truck with his son but they were not aware that the metal had flown away.
When asked where the piece of metal was located in the truck, the man said, “It was in the back.”
Multiple lanes on the highway were closed for hours as police gathered evidence and worked to clear the scene.
There was no immediate word on whether charges have been filed in connection with the incident.
Anyone who witnessed the incident is urged to contact state police.
This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS for updates online and on-air.
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