CHARLTON, MASS. (WHDH) - State police are investigating an early morning crash in Charlton that claimed the life of a 51-year-old Springfield man.
Troopers responding to a reported motor vehicle crash on the westbound side of the highway about 3:40 a.m. found a 2017 Ford Transt van that had crashed in the back of a 2013 Freightliner tractor-trailer that was stopped in traffic in a construction zone, according to state police.
The driver of the van, whose name was not released, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The operator of the tractor-trailer, a 58-year-old Chicopee man, was uninjured in the crash.
A preliminary investigation indicates the van driver didn’t realize that traffic had stopped and crashed into the trailer at highway speed.
The crash triggered a massive backup as a state police collision analysis team worked to determine the cause.
The crash scene has since been cleared, though residual delays are expected to continue this morning.
Fatal crash that occurred earlier in the morning on I- 90 W/B at MM 79 is clear. Traffic remains backed up approximately 5 miles, on the E/B side, MM 78, due to construction. https://t.co/bCBqAtJgXB
— Mass State Police (@MassStatePolice) October 4, 2018
#MAtraffic Route 90 E/B in #Charlton, approximately 8 mile back up due to ongoing investigation and cleanup of earlier fatal crash. One lane getting by. Expected to open completely soon.
— Mass State Police (@MassStatePolice) October 4, 2018
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